80 killed as trains crash in Egypt

Published August 22, 2006

QALYOUB (Egypt), Aug 21: A collision between two trains killed 80 people and injured 131 on Monday in a Nile Delta town north of Cairo, a security source said, in Egypt’s worst rail disaster since 2002.

About 25 ambulances rushed to the crash site, along with hundreds of bystanders and relatives anxious for news of passengers who might have been killed or injured, a witness said, adding that damage to the trains was extensive.

The accident took place at about 7.30am near the town of Qalyoub, about 20 km north of Cairo, official sources told the state news agency MENA. They said one of the drivers had apparently ignored traffic signals.

A photographer at the scene said one of the trains had derailed and was on its side. It had split into four parts and there were signs of a fire, he said.—Reuters

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