26 killed In Egypt Train Crash

At least 26 people have been killed after a train hit three vehicles on a level crossing in Egypt. Most of the victims are believed to come from the same family and were thought to be travelling back from a wedding in Cairo.

Another 28 are still in hospital with fractures,
crush injuries and missing limbs according to the head of Egypt's emergency services, Ahmed el-Ansari.

He added that the identities of the victims was not immediately clear.

The train, coming from Aswan and passing through Bani Swaif, crashed at a crossing near the Giza district, state media said.

The head of the Giza security sector, Kamal el-Dali said the wedding bus had been making its way to the southern city of Fayyoum.

While the initial death toll was 24 it rose to 26 after two people later died of their wounds in hospital.

Security officials said the scene was now clear of victims.

El-Dali said the train, which was carrying construction materials, also hit a small truck coming in the opposite direction.

The head of Egypt's railway, Hussein Zakaria, told Nile News that initial reports indicated the crossing gates of the tracks had been closed and the train's driver was surprised to see vehicles still crossing.

'What could the guards have done? Stand in front of the bus?' Zakaria said. 'The initial reports show no negligence ... We shall wait for the investigation.'

A security official said the train was traveling from the southern city of Beni Suef when it hit at least three vehicles near the village of Dahshur, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) south of Cairo.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief reporters.

Egypt is notorious for train collisions and has a poor safety record that is mostly blamed on decades of badly maintained equipment.

Almost exactly a year ago, a train crashed into a bus, killing 51 children traveling to school in the governorate of Assiut, some 200 miles (320 kilometers) south of Cairo.

The transport minister and the head of the railways resigned following the accident.

That crash also gave ammunition to opponents of then- President Mohammed Morsi who said he had done little to improve lives of ordinary Egyptians. Morsi was ousted in a military coup in July.

see more accident scene pics below