Emel Moreau
At least seven people were killed and more than 100 injured in a train crash near the northern Egyptian city of Giza on the 8th. The country's Ministry of Health said the dead included the driver of one of the trains involved.
Egyptian railway authorities said two trains headed south from Giza and the capital Cairo collided, causing several cars to derail and fall onto an embankment.
Footage from the scene showed a large number of people searching for injured passengers inside the overturned vehicle as a large-scale emergency response began.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said he had ordered authorities to "investigate the circumstances of the accident and hold accountable whoever was found to be at fault."
Prosecutors have warned that the death toll could rise further.
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The government announced that hospitals near the scene were placed on "high alert" to deal with the large number of injured.
Egyptian Health Minister Khalid Abdel Ghaffar said many passengers were being treated for broken bones and head injuries.
The Egyptian Red Crescent Society said it was providing aid and psychological support to the victims and their families at the scene.
In the accident, a train heading from Giza to Fayoum, south of Cairo, collided with the rear of a Cairo-Aswan train that was stopped on the same track.
Photos from the scene showed several vehicles overturned, and the body of at least one appeared to be broken in two.
Services on the line connecting Giza and Upper Egypt (the region from Cairo to central Egypt) were suspended as cranes were sent to remove the damaged train. Railway authorities have not said how long the removal will take.
The accident occurred between Kafr Anmar and Al Raqqa stations in Al Ayat, Giza Governorate. The site is close to the site of the country's worst train disaster in February 2002, when a passenger train heading from Cairo to central Luxor caught fire.
Officially, more than 370 people were killed in the accident, although some estimates put the death toll much higher.
In 2009, two train accidents in the area killed dozens of people.
In Egypt, there were calls for the resignation of the transport minister on the 8th following a series of train accidents.
Leaders and other dignitaries from around the world expressed their condolences and support for the victims.
Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed its "solidarity" with Egypt and prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured.
Turkey's ambassador to Egypt wrote on social media that he expressed his "heartfelt condolences and deep sympathies" to the victims, their families and the Egyptian people.
(English article Seven dead and more than 100 injured after trains collide in Egypt)
