41 Killed, 179 Injured in Egypt’s Alexandria Train Collision

A train collision in Alexandria between two trains has killed at least 41 people and injured 179 passengers, announced the Ministry of Health on Friday evening.

The collision occurred between one train travelling from Cairo to Alexandria and another from Port Said at Khorsid station.

According to an initial investigation, the Cairo train crashed into the rear of the Port Said train. The driver of the Cairo train has been arrested and is currently being interrogated. Preliminary reports suggest the train driver failed to see the red signal light.

Following the incident, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi sent his condolences to the families of the victims and ordered an immediate investigation.

The families of those killed in Friday’s train collision will receive at least EGP 50,000 ($US 2,812), announced Egypt’s Social Solidarity Ministry.

This latest collision is the deadliest since 2012, when more than 50 people, mostly school children, were killed following the collision of a train and a school bus.

The last major train incident in Egypt occurred in 2013, when a train derailed in Giza, killing 19 people.

In recent years, many have called for an overhaul of Egypt’s rail industry. According to the Associated Press, recent figures released by CAPMAS show 1,249 accidents involving train occurred in Egypt in 2016.