Two trains collide south of Cairo, killing 7 and injuring 112 in Egypt

Seven people have died and 112 were injured after two trains collided in Al-Ayat, in Egypt's Giza province south of Cairo, on Sunday. Several carriages left the tracks and overturned.

What happened?

Egypt's national railway authority said a train travelling from Giza to Fayoum ran into the rear of another train heading from Cairo towards Aswan.

The health ministry said 112 injured people were taken to hospitals around Giza. Injuries included broken limbs, pelvises and vertebrae, head and face wounds, and bruised chests and ribs. By the evening, 71 of them had left hospital after treatment.

Rescue work went on until the evening. Local residents joined emergency crews and railway workers, and heavy cranes were used to lift the overturned carriages and reach passengers trapped inside.

What did witnesses say?

Abdel Wahed Mohamed, 31, was sitting in a nearby café when it happened. He said six carriages overturned.

Ahmed Moussa, 25, said rescuers had to dig beneath one of the carriages to reach people trapped inside, who he said were piled on top of each other. Another witness, Taha Abdel Tawab, 43, said he saw a young man carry his father's body out of the train.

One local resident, Reda Kamel, criticised delays in the rescue and blamed weak transport infrastructure in the area.

What has the response been?

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said he was following the accident "with great concern". He ordered state bodies to provide medical care for the injured and to speed up the investigation, so that anyone responsible for negligence is held to account. Authorities have opened an inquiry into the cause. On Monday, Kuwait's foreign ministry expressed full solidarity with Egypt.

Why does this place carry painful memories?

Al-Ayat has seen deadly rail accidents before. In 2002, a fire on a train south of Cairo killed more than 370 people, one of the worst disasters in the history of Egypt's railways. Another accident in the area in 2009 killed dozens.

Egypt's rail network is among the oldest in the Middle East and carries about a million people a day. Accidents involving collisions and derailments are frequent. Egypt has spent billions of dollars over the past decade on transport, including highways and high-speed rail, but large parts of the old network still need upgrading.