Train crashes into road in Egypt, killing two people, official says

CAIRO (AP) — A train crashed into a road on Egypt's northern coast Wednesday, killing two people and injuring two others, the governor's office said.

The accident in the city of Borg el-Arab, west of Alexandria, was caused by a truck being on the tracks, although they should have been closed to the passage of a passenger train, according to a statement from the Alexandria governor's office.

The train coming from the city of El-Dabaa was derailed by the collision.

Train derailments and accidents are not uncommon in Egypt. The outdated railway network also suffers from mismanagement. In recent years, the government has announced initiatives to improve the rail network.

In 2018, President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi said that around 250 billion Egyptian pounds, or $8.13 billion, would be needed to thoroughly overhaul the North African country's neglected railway network.

In 2021, two trains collided in the southern Egyptian city of Tahta, killing 32 people. Later that year, a train derailed in Qalyubia province, killing 11 people.

The worst train accident in Egypt occurred in 2002. A fire broke out on a night train traveling from Cairo to southern Egypt, killing more than 300 people.