At least 24 killed as train, minibus collide in Egypt

PanARMENIAN.Net - At least 24 people were killed and 28 injured Monday, Nov 18, as a train crashed into a minibus and other vehicles south of Egypt's capital Cairo, officials say, according to BBC News.

The freight train, travelling from the city of Beni Suef, hit the vehicles at a crossing about 40km (25 miles) from Cairo. State TV said many of those killed on the bus were members of the extended family returning from a wedding.

Egypt's roads and railways have a notoriously poor safety record.

The collision happened near the village of Dahshur, with reports saying the minibus and two other vehicles were involved.

Local security officials told Egypt's media that the crossing gates of the tracks had been closed and the train's driver was surprised to see vehicles still crossing. "The crossing was closed with chains, there were warning lights," Hussein Zakaria, the head of Egypt's railway authority, told state TV.

Ambulances later arrived at the scene to take the injured to hospitals. There are fears that the death toll could rise further.

In January, a train carrying army recruits derailed near Cairo, killing 19 people and injuring more than 100.

Last November, 50 children died when a train hit their school bus near Manfalut, some 350km south of Cairo, after a signal operator fell asleep. That disaster forced the resignation of the transport minister.

Egypt's worst train disaster was in 2002, when a train caught fire in Cairo, killing 373 people.