Dozens killed in Egypt train accident

At least 30 people were killed Monday in a gruesome accident at a railway crossing in Egypt when a train plowed into at least three vehicles, including a truck and a mini-bus, according to the country's Health Ministry.

Another 28 people were wounded in the crash. Kamal al-Dali, local police chief, told state television the mini-bus was carrying guests home from a wedding.

Ahmed al-Ansari, the emergency services chief, told the Associated Press that the identities of the dead were not immediately clear.

He said the injured mostly had fractures, crush injuries and lost body parts, with some in critical condition.

The head of the Egyptian Railway Authority, Hussein Zakaria, said the vehicles had ignored warning lights and chains blocking entry, and tried to drive through the crossing.

"The bus stormed the crossing, according to initial reports," he told state television. "The crossing was closed with chains, there were warning lights," he added.

The train, whose driver survived the crash, continued for more than half a mile before coming to a halt, he said.

Egypt's rail network has a subpar safety record arising largely from lack of maintenance and poor management.

In January, 19 people died when a train transporting conscripts derailed, and in November 2012, 47 school children were killed when a train crashed into their bus.

The transport minister and the railway authority heads were both forced to resign as a result of that accident, which was blamed on a train signal operator who fell asleep on the job.

The government formed a panel to investigate, but as with similar tragedies in the past, it did little to shed light on the details and less still to bring about accountability.

In Egypt's deadliest railway tragedy, more than 360 passengers were killed in a train fire in 2002.

Egyptians have long complained that the government has failed to deal with the country's chronic transport problems, with roads as poorly maintained as railway lines.

Monday's accident took place just days after train services resumed completely across the country, after they were halted due to unrest following the military's overthrow of President Mohamed Morsi in July.

Wire services