Egypt’s Ministry of Health and Population has reported seven deaths and multiple injuries after an accident involving two trains at Al-Ayyat in Giza governorate. In its update on 8 November, the ministry said several carriages of a passenger train overturned on the Cairo–Aswan line in front of the Gerza junctions. The casualty figures are those reported at the time of writing.
In a statement published by the Presidency on 8 November, President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi offered condolences to the families of those who died and wished the injured a speedy recovery. He said he had directed state agencies to provide the necessary medical care, to speed up the investigation into the circumstances of the accident and to hold to account anyone proven negligent.
The chairman of the Financial Regulatory Authority, Islam Azzam, has directed the railway and metro accident insurance pool to expedite the compensation due to the families of the victims and, as an exception, to raise compensation for death and permanent total disability from EGP 30,000 to EGP 50,000. Other injuries are to be handled under the applicable legal rules and the required medical reports. He called for immediate contact with the families of those who died and those injured, and for payment as soon as the paperwork is complete.
Egyptian National Railways said the damaged carriages had been lifted and the track restored between Kafr Ammar and El Reqqa stations, and that normal operation had resumed in both directions on the Cairo–High Dam line.
Railways Africa extends its condolences to the families and friends of those who died in the Al-Ayyat collision, and wishes a full and speedy recovery to everyone injured. Our thoughts are also with the railway staff, emergency crews and hospital teams who responded
