Qalyoub rail crash

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The Qalyoub rail crash occurred at Qalyoub north of Cairo in Egypt on 21 August 2006, when two commuter trains collided during the morning rush hour, killing at 58 people and injuring over 140.

A passenger train from Mansoura passed a red signal and crashed into another, stationary train which had come from Benha. Four passenger cars derailed in the accident which closed the line in the country's Nile Delta region. The train was estimated as travelling at more than 50 mph (80 km/h) at the time of the collision.^[1] The driver of the Mansoura service was amongst the dead.

In the wake of the accident, Egyptian National Railways director Hanafi Abdel Qawi was dismissed.^[2] and 14 railway officials were later charged with gross negligence. The prosecutor's office said the officials ignored repairing some technical equipment that control train signals

Egypt has a poor safety record on its railways and there are several fatal accident each year, usually blamed on inadequately maintained equipment.

Families of each victim who died in the accident were awarded compensation of £E5,000 (about $US870). Passengers who were injured will get £E1,000.