19 die as Egypt train carrying troops derails: ministry

The train was taking young recruits from south Egypt to a military camp in Cairo when two carriages went off the rails shortly after midnight in the Giza neighborhood of Badrasheen, officials said.

More than 60 ambulances were sent to the site of the accident, where rescuers extracted survivors and bodies from the twisted heap of metal on the side of the rails.

Prime Minister Hesham Qandeel was met with howls of outrage when he arrived at the scene, with local residents shouting, “You have blood on your hands, Mr. Hesham.” His security quickly whisked him away, an AFP photographer said.

The injured have been taken to local hospitals for treatment, the health ministry said.

President Mohammed Morsi made a visit to the injured at the Maadi military hospital in Cairo, the same facility where his ousted predecessor Hosni Mubarak is being treated, state media reported.

Minister of Social Affairs Nagwa Khalil said the government will pay the families of those killed each 10,000 Egyptian pounds (around US$1,520), and families of the injured 2,000 Egyptian pounds (around US$300), MENA said.

The accident is the latest in a string of transport disasters plaguing Egypt, and comes just two weeks after a new transport minister was appointed.

According to media reports, it is the fifth deadly train accident since Morsi was sworn in as Egypt's first Islamist president in June.

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