Fiery crash at Cairo train station kills 20

CAIRO: A hurtling train crashed, derailed and caught fire at Cairo's main station on Wednesday, killing at least 20 people in the latest disaster to strike Egypt's rundown railways.

The country's transportation minister resigned hours after the accident. A train engine appeared to have slammed into the buffers at the end of the track at high speed, sparking a major blaze that blackened the walls of the Ramses station. Firefighters were seen hosing down the charred wreckage of the train inside the station, as security forces guarded the site.

Twenty people were killed and 40 injured, the health ministry said. CCTV footage circulating online showed the train's locomotive smashing into the barrier without slowing down. People walking on the platform were enveloped by smoke.

Separate footage filmed inside the station showed a fire engulfing the train and a nearby platform and people rushing to help the casualties. Photos that emerged after the crash showed several scorched bodies scattered around the train wreckage.

Several people were seen in videos running around and screaming for help after catching fire. Egyptians have long complained that the government has failed to deal with chronic transport problems in the country, where roads are as poorly maintained as railway lines.

Officials often blame the rail network’s poor maintenance on decades of negligence and a lack of funds. Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouli who was quick to visit the site, promised a tough response.