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Egypt: Eleven people dead and nearly 100 injured after train derails north of Cairo

More than 50 ambulances rushed to the site in Qalioubia province after several carriages came off the track
People gather at the scene of the railway accident in the city of Toukh in Egypt's central Nile Delta province of Qalioubia (Reuters)

Egypt's health ministry has said that 11 people had died and 98 were injured on Sunday in a train accident in Qalioubia province north of Cairo.

More than 50 ambulances rushed to the site in the city of Toukh and moved the injured to three hospitals in the province, it said.

A security source told AFP eight carriages came off the rails as the train headed north towards the city of Mansoura.

The security source said the driver and other rail officials had been detained for questioning.

Egyptian rail disasters are generally attributed to poor infrastructure and maintenance.

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At least 20 people died and 199 were injured last month in a train crash in the country's south, according to the latest official toll, which authorities have revised several times.

The prosecution alleged last week that the driver of one train and his assistant had both left the driver's cabin when it crashed into another train.

President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has vowed to hold to account those responsible for the latest of several deadly train accidents in recent years. 

The African Development Bank announced earlier this month a $170m loan to improve safety on Egypt's rail network.

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