Train crash in Egypt leaves 4 dead, 23 injured

A train crash north of Cairo on Tuesday evening has left four people dead, adding to the country’s transportation woes. 

The train crashed into a platform before derailing in Qalyubiyya governorate. Originally, authorities said that two people died. However, the Health Ministry said Wednesday that the death toll had risen to four. Another 23 passengers suffered injuries, Egypt’s state-owned news outlet Al-Ahram reported. 

AFP reported that the crash occurred when the train went through a stop signal. 

Why it matters: Train crashes are not uncommon in Egypt, despite government efforts to improve the railway system. There were two particularly deadly incidents in 2021. In April of that year, a train derailment in Toukh in northern Egypt left 23 dead. A month earlier, two trains collided in Sohag in southern Egypt, killing 19. Prosecutors accused one of the train operators in the Sohag collision of being under the influence of painkillers and hashish at the time. 

Last September, three people died when a minibus collided with a train in Faqus, north of Cairo. Prosecutors detained the bus driver in relation to the crash, Egypt Independent reported.

Train crashes are common in Egypt due to old tracks and decades of neglect, Egyptian journalist Mostafa Al-Grtly reported for Al-Monitor in 2021. 

Know more: Germany’s national railway company, Deutsche Bahn, agreed in November to build a high-speed railway in Egypt. Germany has one of the most reputable train systems in the world, while Egypt’s is one of the oldest.