Train derails after collision in Egypt... Government “4 dead, 88 injured” (comprehensive)

(Cairo = Yonhap News) Correspondent Kim Sang-hoon = On the 8th (local time), two trains traveling in Giza governorate, south of Cairo, the capital of Egypt, collided, resulting in a major accident that killed at least four people and injured about 80 others.

According to the Egyptian National Railways (ENR), on this day, the Tahya Misr train from Giza to Fayoum hit the rear of a train heading south from Cairo to Aswan, derailing several carriages on the section between Kafr Ammar and Alaqa stations.

Egypt's Ministry of Health said 52 ambulances were dispatched to the scene near the Cairo-Aswan agricultural road to conduct rescue operations.

State media Al Akhbar Al Youm reported that the total number of injured in the accident was at least 120.

However, the Ministry of Health reported that 4 bodies were recovered from the scene and that 88 people were injured.

President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi said he was monitoring the situation surrounding the accident, expressed condolences to the bereaved families and prayed for a speedy recovery for the injured.

President Sisi also ordered government agencies to quickly investigate the accident and provide medical support, while emphasizing that anyone found responsible for negligence will be severely punished.

Government ministries launched an emergency response.

Health Minister Khaled Abdel-Ghafar placed medical facilities in Giza and Beni Suef provinces on high alert and ordered the mobilization of all medical services.

The Ministry of Social Solidarity is also coordinating on-site support in cooperation with the Egyptian Red Crescent (Red Cross) relief team.

The Railway Administration deployed a crane and an emergency recovery team to the site to remove the carriage damaged in the accident and quickly normalize two-way traffic on the Cairo-Highdam railway line.

Authorities are currently investigating the exact cause of the accident.

The area of ​​Al-Aat in Giza governorate, where the accident occurred, is notorious as the place where the worst disaster in Egyptian railway history occurred.

More than 370 people lost their lives in a fire on a holiday train home in 2002, a train derailment in September 2016 (5 dead, 27 injured), and a freight train collision on September 10th of this year, just two months ago, continue to cause major accidents.

This year alone, train derailments occurred one after another near Aswan in May and near Kafr el-Zayat in June.

The Egyptian government has poured billions of dollars into improving transportation infrastructure, including highways and new high-speed rail lines, over the past decade.

However, full-scale renovation of the existing railway network, which is a key means of transportation for 110 million people, is still delayed, and fatal accidents due to deterioration are recurring in Egypt's railway network, which boasts the largest scale in Africa.