At least 19 people are confirmed dead while about 185 others were injured after two trains collided near the town of Tahta in the Egyptian province of Sohag. According Egyptian railway authorities, someone activated the emergency brakes on the passenger train heading towards Alexandria, resulting in train being rear-ended by another train. While the exact cause of why the emergency brakes were activated is still under investigation, the collision resulted in two train cars derailing and flipping onto their sides. Witnesses say that bystanders and passengers helped remove bodies and perform first aid on the injured. About 100 ambulances alongside 2 aircraft carrying 52 doctors were sent to the scene of the collision.

Local media outlets say that the death toll may continue to increase as rescue efforts continue. Minister of Health Hala Zayed said that the total death toll is likely than the 32 initially reported, as some unconscious people were mistakenly reported as dead. However, she also said that while the Ministry of Health has confirmed 19 deaths, they also collected 3 bags of human remains that have yet to be identified and counted. President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi expressed his condolences, and promised that those found responsible for the incident would receive "a deterrent punishment." Meanwhile, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said that the Egyptian government is committed to compensating the families of those killed in the crash 100,000 Egyptian pounds (About 6,000 United States dollars) alongside lifetime pensions.

Egypt's rail system has had a history of accidents, mismanagements, and incidents caused by poorly maintained equipment. In 2017, official figures reported that there were 1,793 recorded accidents in a year. Following a deadly collision in 2018, President el-Sissi estimated that the government would need about 250,000,000,000 Egyptian pounds (Roughly equivalent to 16,000,000,000 United States dollars) to overhaul the rail system.

Note: While the first photo used in this image shows a train in Egypt, it does not depict the trains involved in the incident. All images used in this article were retrieved from the public domain, and do not require attribution or citation for commercial purposes.