Egypt transport minister resigns after train crash kills 25

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Egypt's transport minister resigned on Wednesday after a deadly train crash in Cairo killed at least 25, and left 50 injured.

Through a statement, the Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly is said to have accepted Hisham Arafat's resignation

Madbouly who visited the scene of the crash announced that the incident would be investigated and anyone found responsible held to account.

Inside the station, the train's blackened engine could be seen tilted to one side next to a platform.

Eyewitness Ibrahim Hussein said: “I saw a man pointing from the locomotive as it entered the platform, and screaming ‘There are no brakes, there are no brakes' before he jumped out of the locomotive. And I don't know what happened to him.”

According to security sources from local media, there was no indication that the crash was deliberate.

Ahmed Abdeltawab said the platform had been crowded with people waiting for another train.

“The fire overwhelmed them and they ran while they were on fire until they fell metres from incident,” he said. “The scene was terrifying.”

Several witnesses said they had seen fire coming out of the train's engine before it crashed, causing an explosion and fires inside the station.

Egypt has one of the oldest and largest rail networks in the region and accidents causing casualties have been common.

Meanwhile,The transport ministry has suspended all train arrivals and departures at the station

Source(s): Reuters