At Least 58 Killed After Trains Collide in Egypt

At least 58 people were reported dead and 143 injured yesterday when two trains collided on Egypt's antiquated railway system north of Cairo.

Police sources said one train had stopped at a station in Qalyoub, 12 miles outside Cairo, when it was hit from behind by another train travelling at 50mph which had apparently ignored a signal. The second train was derailed and caught fire. The crash ripped seats from the carriages, which were littered with clothes and shoes.

"A loud crash awoke me. One of the trains had derailed and people were scattered on the floor," said Osama Abdul Haleem, who lives near the crash site. "I called the authorities and they told me I was crazy."

Witnesses complained of a long delay waiting for emergency services to arrive and said members of the public and survivors had been trying to rescue passengers trapped in the carriages. Rescuers were still recovering bodies by midday, using a bulldozer to pull apart a metal side panel to reach a body lodged in one of the carriages.

At least 15 trucks of riot police were sent to the scene, apparently to quell any protests by passengers and relatives, the witnesses said. There was a brief disturbance when a Muslim Brotherhood MP blamed the government for the accident and a crowd began chanting.

Egypt's railways have a poor safety record which is blamed on decades of under-investment. Signalling systems in many parts of the country are out of date and third-class carriages are often overcrowded, with some passengers travelling in the overhead luggage racks.

Yesterday's train crash was the deadliest since 2002 when a fire killed 360 passengers. That accident prompted the resignation of the transport minister and the head of the state railway system. The government also increased fares to provide life insurance for passengers.

Hatem el-Gabali, the health minister, said the government would pay 5,000 Egyptian pounds (£460) to families of the dead in yesterday's accident.