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58 die as trains collide

QALYOUB (Egypt): A passenger train barrelling toward a northern Egypt railway station on Monday collided with a second train, killing at least 58 persons and injuring 143, in the latest accident by Egypt's dilapidated railway service. Egypt's official Middle East News Agency quoted Minister of Health Hatem el-Gabaly on the death toll for the accident that occurred around 7 a.m. (local time) outside the town of Qalyoub, 20 km north of the capital Cairo. Mr. El-Gabaly said four of the wounded were in critical condition. The front part of one train was crumpled in, while mangled train cars from both trains lay on their sides or on the edge of a cornfield next to the train tracks. Both trains were southbound and carrying commuters to Cairo, from the Nile Delta towns of Mansoura and Benha. The train from Mansoura was going at least 80 kmph when the collision occurred after it failed to heed a stop signal outside the train station. The driver of the Mansoura train was killed and the locomotive overturned when it crashed into the other train, which was stopped at the station, police and witnesses said. — AP

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