![People gather around the wreckage of two trains that collided in the Tahta district of Sohag province, some 460 kilometres (285 miles) south of the Egyptian capital Cairo, reportedly killing at least 19 people and injuring scores of others, on March 26, 2021 [AFP via Getty Images]](https://i0.wp.com/www.middleeastmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/GettyImages-1231948352.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1)
At least 40 people have been injured near the Egyptian coastal town of Alexandria after two trains collided, the Ministry of Health reported.
An official source in the Railway Authority said a locomotive crashed into the last car of a Cairo-bound train departing from the main station in Alexandria.
Health ministry spokesman, Dr. Khaled Mujahid, said the injured were taken to nearby hospitals where they were treated for broken bones and bruises.
Mujahid added that Minister of Health, Dr. Hala Zayed, is following up on the status of the injured and has instructed the ministry’s undersecretary in Alexandria to visit them and ensure that they receive the necessary medical treatment.
The train crash comes less than 24 hours after a freight train ploughed into a minibus in the capital Cairo, killing two passengers and injuring six others.
More than 10,000 people died from train accidents between 2013 and 2019 whilst roughly 12,000 Egyptians die in traffic accidents every year.
Egypt’s railways are dilapidated and in desperate need of restoration whilst speeding, bad roads and poorly enforced traffic laws lead to deaths on the roads.
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