Trains collide in Egypt, 25 dead
2009-10-24 22:29
Cairo - A passenger train collided with the back of a second one ahead of it on the tracks just outside of Cairo on Saturday, destroying several passenger cars and killing at least 25 people, a police official said.
At least 55 others were wounded in the accident, which occurred in Girzah district of 6th of October province, said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media.
Emergency personnel were working to extract the dead and wounded from the trains, said the official.
The train that caused the collision was headed from Cairo to the southern city of Assuit, while the one that was impacted was traveling from Giza province to the oasis town of Fayoum, said Egypt's official Middle East News Agency.
Egypt has a poor safety record on its railways, and there are several fatal accident each year, usually blamed on poorly maintained equipment.
The worst recent disaster took place in February 2002 when a train heading to southern Egypt caught fire, killing 363 people.
- AP