Egypt train collision kills 37, injures over 120

Two speeding trains today collided near Egypt's coastal city of Alexandria, killing 37 people and injuring over 120 others, officials said.

The collision took place after a train from the Egyptian capital Cairo collided with another train coming from Port Said in Khorshid area, Health ministry officials said.

"The rescue team is currently searching for survivals while ambulances are transferring the injured to nearby hospitals," said Magdy Hegazi, undersecretary at the Health ministry.

Earlier, Health Minister advisor Sherif Wadie said that the number of casualties could increase.

The ministry said 75 ambulances had been deployed at the crash scene to treat casualties and that all the hospitals in Alexandria had been placed on high alert.

The cause of the crash is not yet known.

The Health ministry is yet to announce the final toll. At least 37 people have been killed and 123 injured in the accident.

Train accidents are common in Egypt. In 2016, a train derailed in south of Cairo, killing five people, and injuring 27 people in the al-Ayat area.

Another train derailment in Badr Rashin in Giza killed at least 19 people in 2013.

In 2012, a collision between a train and school bus on a rail crossing in the town of Manaflut in Upper Egypt killed 51 people, mostly children.

At least 360 people were killed in 2002 in Egypt's worst train disaster when a major fire engulfed seven carriages of an overcrowded passenger train.

(This article has not been edited by DNA's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)