Death toll in Egypt from train derailment rises to 23

By Halime Afra Aksoy

ISTANBUL (AA) - The death toll from a train derailment over the weekend in Egypt’s Qalyubia province has risen to 23, the prosecutor-general's office said Tuesday.

The number of injured totaled 139, it said in a statement.

The statement said that as part of the investigation, along with 23 suspects, the decision to arrest the train driver and his assistant was made.

The Cairo-Mansura passenger train 949 went off the tracks in the city of Banha, north of Cairo.

Last month, 32 people lost their lives and 66 others sustained injuries in a train accident.

After the railway accidents, Egypt’s Ministry of Transportation announced Tuesday that extensive changes in positions were made in the National Railways Directorate.