At least 11 people are killed and 100 injured as four passenger train carriages derail in Egypt 

At least 11 people are killed and 100 injured as four passenger train carriages derail in Egypt

  • At least 11 people have been killed and 98 injured after a train derailed in Egypt
  • Around 60 ambulances were dispatched to the scene to take people to hospital
  • The cause of the crash is not yet known and an investigation is now underway

At least 11 people have been killed and 98 left injured in Egypt after four carriages on a passenger train derailed, Egyptian authorities said.

Four train wagons ran off the rails at 1.54pm today in the Qalyubia province, just north of Cairo, the railway authority said in a statement. 

The train had been heading to the Nile Delta city of Mansoura from the Egyptian capital when the carriages derailed.

The health ministry confirming that at least 11 people had been killed and 98 people had been left with injuries, including broken bones, cuts and bruises.

At least 11 people have been killed and 98 left injured in Egypt after a passenger train derailed just north of Cairo, Egyptian authorities said

A crane works to move one of the derailed passenger train carriages after it derailed in Egypt earlier today

A crane works to move one of the derailed passenger train carriages after it derailed in Egypt earlier today

Four train wagons ran off the rails at 1.54pm today at the city of Banha in Qalyubia province, just north of Cairo, the railway authority said in a statement. Pictured: One person sits on the tracks in front of the rolled over train carriage

Four train wagons ran off the rails at 1.54pm today at the city of Banha in Qalyubia province, just north of Cairo, the railway authority said in a statement. Pictured: One person sits on the tracks in front of the rolled over train carriage

People look beneath one of the overturned passenger train carriages in Egypt earlier today as salvage teams work to locate any survivors

People look beneath one of the overturned passenger train carriages in Egypt earlier today as salvage teams work to locate any survivors

More than 60 ambulances had been dispatched to the site of the derailed train and had been working to transport those injured in the incident to hospital.

Salvage teams were also seen working to find survivors and move the derailed wagons.

It was not immediately clear what caused the train to derail but prosecutors said they were investigating the crash. 

This is the latest in a number of derailing incidents to take place in Egypt in recent years.  

The health ministry confirming that at least 11 people had been killed and 98 people had been left with injuries, including broken bones, cuts and bruises

The health ministry confirming that at least 11 people had been killed and 98 people had been left with injuries, including broken bones, cuts and bruises

More than 60 ambulances had been dispatched to the site of the derailed train and had been working to transport those injured in the incident to hospital

More than 60 ambulances had been dispatched to the site of the derailed train and had been working to transport those injured in the incident to hospital

It was not immediately clear what caused the train to derail but prosecutors said they were investigating the crash

It was not immediately clear what caused the train to derail but prosecutors said they were investigating the crash

Last month, two passenger trains collided in southern Egypt, leaving at least 32 dead and around 100 wounded as multiple carriages derailed and flipped over.

The crash happened in Sohag province, 285 miles south of Cario, on Friday when ‘unknown individuals’ pulled the emergency brake on one train headed from Luxor to Alexandria, causing it to stop on the tracks.

A second train going from Aswan to Cairo then ploughed into it from behind, causing at least two carriages to derail while others were left buckled and broken by the force of the impact.    

Fifteen people were injured this month when two train carriages derailed near Minya al-Qamh city, about 44 miles north of Cairo.

A paramedic speaks to a member of the public next to one of the derailed passenger train carriages in Egypt earlier today

A paramedic speaks to a member of the public next to one of the derailed passenger train carriages in Egypt earlier today

People broke their fast during the holy month of Ramadan at the site of the passenger train, in Egypt, which derailed earlier today

People broke their fast during the holy month of Ramadan at the site of the passenger train, in Egypt, which derailed earlier today

A group of men stood on top of the derailed train peer down between two carriages in search of any survivors trapped

A group of men stood on top of the derailed train peer down between two carriages in search of any survivors trapped

Egypt’s deadliest train crash came in 2002, when over 300 people were killed after a fire broke out in an overnight train traveling from Cairo to southern Egypt. 

Train wrecks and mishaps are common in Egypt, where the railway system has a history of badly maintained equipment and mismanagement. 

The government says it has launched a broad renovation and modernization initiative. 

Egypt’s transportation minister Kamel El-Wazir, a former army general, has faced calls to resign from some Egyptians on social media. 

He has rejected these and vowed to keep working on developing the ageing rail network.