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Egypt detains 8 people in Sohag train crash 

March 30, 2021 at 2:06 pm

People gather around the wreckage of two trains that collided in the Tahta district of Sohag province, reportedly killing at least 19 people and injuring scores of others, on March 26, 2021 [AFP via Getty Images]

Egypt’s top prosecutor yesterday ordered the detention of eight people following a train collision in Upper Egypt.

Two trains collided on Friday in Egypt’s southern province of Sohag, leaving 18 passengers dead and 200 others injured.

In an official statement, the general prosecutor said that the detention order had included the “drivers of the two trains, their assistants, the Maragha railway station supervisor, and the head and two observers at the central control unit in Assiut governorate.”

The statement pointed out that a preliminary inspection of the incident’s site had shown that the “train coming from Egypt’s southern city of Aswan crashed into the back of the other train while it was standing beside the level crossing, which led passenger cars in both trains to flip over and derail.”

“Eighteen passengers were killed and 200 others were injured, including children. Human remains were found on site as well,” the statement read.

READ: 13 injured as trains collide in Cairo