8 Dead in Egypt as Train Collides With Minibus

CAIRO — In a tragic incident in northern Egypt on Thursday, a train collided with a minibus that was crossing the tracks at an unauthorized location, resulting in the deaths of at least eight individuals and injuring 12 others, as reported by the government.
The accident occurred in the Suez Canal province of Ismailia, drawing a response from the health ministry, which dispatched over a dozen ambulances to the site.
The Egyptian railway authority confirmed that the passenger train was following its regular schedule when the unfortunate collision took place. The area where the minibus attempted to traverse the railway is not approved for crossing.
Reports from local Egyptian media noted that the victims, including children, were rushed to East Qantara Central Hospital. Among the injured, one child is reportedly in critical condition.
Following the tragic event, Egyptian Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouly directed the issuance of 100,000 Egyptian pounds (approximately $1,970) to support each family of the deceased, according to a local government media office. Images from the crash site depicted a severely damaged red minibus alongside scattered school notebooks and backpacks.
Incidents such as train derailments and collisions have been a persistent issue in Egypt, revealing the challenges of an aging railway system afflicted by inadequate management. Last October witnessed a locomotive crashing into the rear end of a Cairo-bound passenger train in southern Egypt, resulting in the death of at least one person. Similarly, in September, a collision between two passenger trains in a city within the Nile Delta led to at least three fatalities.
To address these long-standing issues, the government has launched various initiatives aimed at modernizing the railway system. Back in 2018, President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi stated that an investment of about 250 billion Egyptian pounds, equivalent to $8.13 billion, was necessary to comprehensively rejuvenate the neglected rail infrastructure.