19 killed, 107 injured in Egypt train derailment

Cairo : At least 19 people were killed and 103 others injured when an Egyptian military train derailed near Cairo Tuesday, the government said.

The train carrying young conscripts was on its way to a military camp in Cairo when two carriages derailed in the Giza neighbourhood of Badrashin, Xinhua reported.

Newly-appointed Prosecutor General Talat Ibrahim Abdullah ordered an investigation into the accident, asserting that those responsible would be referred to criminal courts.

Prime Minister Hesham Qandil cancelled a visit to Cairo’s Maasarah district in order to be able to follow the developments of the accident.

In November last year, a train rammed into a school bus in Egypt, killing 50 people, mainly schoolchildren.

The incident led to the transport minister’s resignation.

The country witnessed its worst railway accident in 2002 when over 360 people were killed in a train fire.