Death Toll Mounts: Egyptian Health Ministry Reveals Devastating Aftermath of Zagazig Train Crash
Train Collision in Egypt’s Sharqia Governorate Leaves 3 Dead and 49 Injured
The Egyptian Ministry of Health announced on Saturday that the number of injured in the Zagazig train collision in Sharqia Governorate has risen to 49, in addition to recording three deaths.
According to a statement by the Ministry of Health, the injured have been transferred to Jagazig University, Al-Ahrar and a private hospital at their request, noting that the results are ”almost final”.
The Ministry of Health and Population announced that the number of injured in the Zagazig train collision in Sharqia Governorate has risen to 49. They were transferred to Jagazig University Hospital, Al-Ahrar University Hospital and a private hospital in Sharqiya Governorate. The injured request, in addition to 3 deaths.
- Egyptian Ministry of Health and Population (@mohpegypt) September 14, 2024
The ministry explained that the health condition of 44 of the infected persons is stable, and they are expected to leave the hospital in the next few hours, while five unstable cases are being continuously monitored.
Dr. Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Health and Population, followed the accident response and the transport and support of the injured and tasked his deputy, Dr. Mohammed Al-Tayeb, with going to the scene. Accidents and hospital visits to the injured.
– Egyptian Ministry of Health and Population (@mohpegypt) September 14, 2024
Background of the Accident
Earlier, on Saturday, the city of Zagazig in Egypt’s Sharqia Governorate witnessed a collision between two trains near the new bridge area.
The ministry posted on Facebook that 39 ambulances were dispatched to the accident site, where the injured were transferred to nearby hospitals.
Train Accidents in Egypt
Egypt often witnesses tragic train and traffic accidents due to the chaos that prevails on the roads, the aging of vehicles, and the poor condition of roads and railways that are not well maintained and adequately monitored.
Train accidents are usually attributed to personal mistakes or problems related to infrastructure and maintenance.
In 2019, a speeding train crashed into a concrete embankment at the end of a platform at Cairo’s Ramses train station, causing an explosion and a massive fire that killed 22 people and injured dozens.
In April 2021, the Minister of Transport decided to fire the head of the Egyptian Railway Authority after two train crashes in less than a month killed more than 40 people.
23 people were killed and 139 injured when a train derailed north of Cairo, three weeks after another train accident in Sohag governorate in the south of the country on March 26 of the same year killed 20 people.
Egypt’s deadliest accident was recorded in 2002, when a crowded train caught fire south of the capital, killing 361 people.
Development of Railway Facility
Egypt is looking to develop the railway facility, which, according to official figures, serves about 10 million people a day in a country with an official population of about 105 million people.