Train collision in Egypt’s Al-Ayyat kills four, injures 88

Two passenger trains collided on Sunday in Al-Ayyat district of Giza province south of Cairo, killing four people and injuring 88 others, Egypt’s Health Ministry announced in its latest statement at publication time, while press reports indicated that as many as 150 people sustained fractures and bruises.

The Ministry of Transport said in a statement that the collision occurred when “Tahya Misr” Train No. 134, traveling from Giza to Faiyum, struck the rear of Train No. 2010, heading from Cairo to Aswan. The impact derailed four carriages, overturning them and halting rail traffic in both directions along the Upper Egypt line.

The Health Ministry said in a statement that emergency workers transferred the wounded to hospitals to receive required medical care, adding that 72 ambulances took part in the evacuation operations. Authorities moved 49 injured passengers to Al-Wasta Hospital in Beni Suef province, 29 to Al-Ayyat Hospital in Giza province, and 10 to Atfeeh Hospital. Responders transferred four bodies: two to Al-Wasta Hospital, one to Atfeeh Hospital, while one remained at the crash site.

President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi issued a statement directing state agencies to provide the necessary medical care, expedite investigations into the circumstances of the incident, and hold accountable anyone whose negligence is proven.

In contrast to the official health toll, local news website Masrawy cited an informed source who requested anonymity stating that the number of injured rose to around 150 people, most suffering varied fractures and contusions. The source noted that the tally remains preliminary, adding that both ambulances and local residents transferred the wounded to nearby hospitals.

An official on the board of directors of the Egyptian National Railways, familiar with details of the crash, told Al Manassa that authorities are examining two preliminary scenarios to explain the crash, stressing that neither can be confirmed before the conclusion of technical inspections and formal investigations.

The first scenario, the source explained, involves a potential malfunction in the track signaling system, which may have given the train driver a signal to proceed when he should have stopped.

The second scenario centers on the possibility that the train driver failed to follow operating signals and traffic instructions, an aspect technical teams and ongoing inquiries are currently examining, according to the official. The official added that following consultations with Transport Minister Kamel Al-Wazir, the railway authority decided to form a technical committee to inspect the wreckage and examine operational and mechanical facets to establish the root causes and circumstances.

In parallel, the prosecutor-general dispatched a team from the public prosecution to inspect the crash site. The prosecution also requested the formation of a specialized technical committee from the railway authority to inspect the site, determine why the carriages derailed, and establish shortcomings and potential liabilities based on the results of the inquiry.

Al-Ayyat’s history of railway disasters

The railway official pointed out that recurring train accidents on this specific stretch since 2015 require examining the incident in light of past events and reviewing technical and operating conditions in the area, looking beyond the immediate triggers of the crash.

Al-Ayyat district holds a grim place in Egypt’s railway history, having witnessed deadly disasters over past decades. Most notable was the February 2002 disaster, when fire engulfed an Upper Egypt-bound train, killing over 350 of its passengers.

The same area witnessed three crashes during 2016 alone, which killed 14 people and injured 30, alongside incidents where trains struck pedestrians or passengers fell from carriages in subsequent years as reported by Al Manassa.

Egypt has worked for years to upgrade its transport network, modernizing trains and rail infrastructure under an investment plan totaling roughly 225 billion Egyptian pounds between 2014 and 2024, in an effort to address deficiencies exposed by recurring train disasters.

According to the annual bulletin on car and train accidents released by the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS) in June 2026, Egypt recorded 170 train accidents in 2025, down 22.7% from 220 incidents in 2024. Train accidents that year resulted in 39 deaths and 139 injuries.

Yet, statistical agency data also reveals a surge in severe accidents—classified as incidents resulting in at least one death, severe injury to five or more people, or damage exceeding 2 million pounds to rolling stock, infrastructure, or the environment. Such serious incidents rose from 289 in 2020 to 752 in 2024, according to the agency’s statistical bulletin.