| Al Ayyat train collision | |
|---|---|
The trains collided south of Cairo, Egypt. |
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| Details | |
| Date | 24 October 2009 |
| Time | UTC+3 |
| Location | Al Ayyat, Giza |
| Country | Egypt |
| Type of incident | train collision |
| Cause | Under investigation |
| Statistics | |
| Trains | 2 |
| Passengers | 0 |
| Deaths | at least 50[1] |
| Injuries | at least 30[1] |
| Damage | several carriages destroyed |
The Al Ayyat train collision killed at least 50 people and injured 30 others on 24 October 2009.[1] The incident occurred in Al Ayyat, 6th of October governorate, located 50 km south of Cairo.[2][3][4][5] The official death toll has increased and might increase further.[6][7][8][9] One of the trains was going southward to visit the Asyut and Aswan, popular tourist destinations.[10]
A second train slammed into the first, which had stopped to allow an animal, described by various witnesses and officials as either a cow or a water buffalo, to make its way safely across.[1][11][12][13] The second train was first class and had many passengers aboard;[10] the first one was traveling light.[10] It was thought that two carriages were wrecked completely.[14]
Reports described passengers jumping out of the train, but one carriage fell on another and the two had to be separated by a crane.[7] Attempts to find survivors in the two carriages were eventually halted when rescuers concluded there were no further survivors in or under either car.[15] Carriages were cut to reach the passengers.[16] Casualties were hospitalised.[15] Searches continued throughout the night after the crash.[8]
Egyptian railway authorities immediately announced an investigation into the crash.[10] The Egyptian government was criticised for its reaction by some of the surviving passengers.[17] Dubai's daily newspaper Gulf News and Israeli publication The Jerusalem Post both suggested officials on-scene had been forbidden from speaking to the media about the incident.[18][19] The crash was first reported on Twitter, with news networks initially reluctant to provide coverage.[17]
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