Egypt train derails and crashes, killing 3 and injures over 100

Egypt’s health ministry has announced that a train derailment has killed three people and injured 103 others, according to the BBC on August 30th.

The train was en route to Egypt’s capital city of Cairo, having departed from the northern coastal city of Mara Matruh.

At around 15:30 on August 30th, seven of the train’s carriages came off the tracks, with two of them being overturned. The transport ministry and the Egyptian National Railways Authority are still investigating the cause of the crash, which is unclear.

Poor maintenance and a lack of investment in Egypt’s railway network means that accidents are frequent. On March 13th of 2025, eight people were killed and twelve injured when a train hit a minibus at an unauthorised crossing in the Suez Canal province Ismailia. The Egyptian rail authority confirmed that the crossing was not one designated for vehicles.

The Egyptian National Railways Authority said in their statement that if anyone is found responsible for the derailment they would be punished. They also assured that technical crews and equipment have been dispatched to clear the wreckage on and around the tracks, with rail services to be restored as soon as possible.

The incident happened on part of the track between the Fouka and Jalal stations, on the edge of the Sahara.

The Egyptian National Railways Authority, on behalf of the transport ministry, and Egypt’s health minister have offered their condolences to the families of those who were killed in the incident.

Health Minister Dr Khaled Abdul Ghaffar visited the scene of the crash in order to supervise the emergency response, and he also visited those injured and in hospital later.

The health ministry stated that everybody who was injured was taken by ambulance to two local hospitals, and that the three bodies of those who were killed are now in the custody of public prosecutors.

BBC/Maghrebi