Egypt: At least 42 killed, 133 injured as trains collide in Alexandria
The country’s transport minister Hisham Arafat said ‘human error’ led to the accident.
Two trains collided in Egypt’s Alexandria city on Friday, killing 42 people and injuring at least 133, Reuters reported. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi ordered an inquiry into the crash, which took place at 2.15 pm Egypt time (5.45 pm Indian Standard Time) on Friday.
The Egyptian Railway Authority said the accident, which occurred near Khorshid station at the border of Alexandria, derailed the engine of one train and two carriages of the other. Egyptian Transport Minister Hisham Arafat said “human error” led to the collision. “In order to avoid it, we have to develop the infrastructure,” he said.
People living close to the scene of the tragedy reported that the two trains “rose in the air” following the collision. “They [the trains] rose in the air forming a pyramid when they collided,” a resident, Hoda, who was standing on the rooftop of her house said. “I started to scream from the rooftops for people to grab some sheets and run.”