Cairo – At least seven people have been killed and 112 others injured after two passenger trains collided south of the Egyptian capital, Cairo, on Sunday, November 8, 2026, according to Egypt’s Ministry of Health.
The collision occurred approximately 76 kilometres south of Cairo, when a passenger train travelling from Giza to Fayoum struck the rear of another train operating on the Cairo to Aswan route.
According to Egypt’s state railway authority, the impact caused several carriages to derail, prompting an emergency response as rescue teams worked to assist victims and clear the wreckage.
Emergency crews were also deployed to remove the damaged train carriages and restore services along the Cairo to Upper Egypt railway line. However, the railway authority did not indicate how long operations would remain disrupted.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has ordered an urgent investigation into the accident, calling for anyone found responsible through negligence to be held accountable.
In a separate statement, the public prosecutor’s office confirmed that investigations were underway to establish the technical causes of the collision.
The accident comes amid longstanding concerns about railway safety in Egypt, which operates one of the oldest and largest railway networks in the Middle East and North Africa.
Train accidents resulting in fatalities and injuries have occurred repeatedly in the country, despite government efforts to improve railway infrastructure and safety standards through investments worth billions of Egyptian pounds.
One of the deadliest incidents in the country’s railway history occurred in 2002, when a fire swept through seven carriages of an overcrowded passenger train, killing at least 360 people.
Leave a comment