Two passenger trains collided in southern Egypt on Friday, causing three passenger cars to flip over, resulting in at least 32 deaths and 66 injuries, the Associated Press reported.
The crash took place in the southern Egyptian province of Sohag. Photos and videos of the damage quickly began circulating online.
The Daily Monitor tweeted, “JUST IN: Egypt train crash kills 32, injures 66 #MonitorUpdates.”
Dozens of ambulances were dispatched to the scene of the collision, according to Egypt’s health ministry. At least 50 of the wounded individuals were taken to nearby hospitals.
Egyptian railway authorities issued another statement, saying the accident happened when someone engaged the emergency brakes of a passenger train bound for the Mediterranean city of Alexandria. Having engaged the emergency brake, the train came to an abrupt stop and was struck from behind by another incoming train.
Gul Today tweeted several videos surveying the damage from the collision.
Twitter user Wolverine Update tweeted “At least 32 people dead and 66 injured as two passenger trains crash head-on in #Egypt’s #Sohag town, some 500km south of #Cairo. Ministry of health says rescue operation underway with emerging reports saying many stuck in the trains pleading for help.”
The Twitter user shared photos of the crash along with a video shared from inside the train. “Chilling footage from inside the train that crashed in #Sohag, #Egypt. Passengers onboard are heard crying for help, scrambling in the hope they will survive. At least 32 have been killed & 66 others have sustained injuries…”
Egypt Today Magazine tweeted further videos and photos of the wreckage. Photos showed some of the wreckage scattered around the site of the collision. The account shared an earlier estimate of 50 people injured in the collision and tweeted, “Transport Ministry: the 2 trains in Upper Egypt’s Sohag collided after unknown passengers pulled the emergency valve of the first train, causing it to stop and get smashed by the other one from behind.”
Train accidents in Egypt are fairly common. According to the Associated Press, Egypt’s railway system has a history of badly maintained equipment and poor management. Some 1,793 train accidents occured throughout Egypt in 2017 alone.
In 2018, the country’s railway chief was fired after a train derailed in the southern city of Aswan. Also in 2018, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi announced the country lacked the $14 billion in funds needed to overhaul the country’s railway system. El-Sissi delivered that assessment a day after a passenger train collided with a cargo train, resulting in the deaths of 12 people, including a child.
According to TRT World Now, on Friday, El-Sissi said he was monitoring the latest situation and would hold accountable those responsible for the train collision.
