Deadly Egypt train crash prompts calls for political accountability

A deadly train collision in al-Ayyat that killed seven people has triggered demands for political accountability and rail upgrade reviews. A deadly train collision in the outskirts of the Egyptian capital Cairo , which killed at least seven people and injured more than 125 others according to the country’s Ministry of Health and Population, has ignited a wave of parliamentary and political demands for accountability.

The disaster raises urgent questions about the effect of the millions of dollars the Egyptian state has poured into upgrading the railway network and whether those investments are genuinely improving passenger safety. A train travelling between Giza and Fayoum on Sunday ran into the back of another train on the Cairo-to-Aswan route, causing the latter to derail onto a countryside road in al-Ayyat district.

Following the crash, President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi directed authorities to conduct an urgent investigation to “hold accountable anyone found to have been negligent”.