Inferno: 25 people killed, 50 injured in Cairo’s Ramses Train Station blaze

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According to Egyptian media, at least 25 people were killed and 50 injured after a train crash ignited a massive blaze at Cairo’s main train station.

The train hit a buffer stop near the end of a busy platform at Ramses Station, which is in the city centre.

The collision caused the train’s fuel tank to explode, setting the platform and nearby buildings alight.

The cause of the crash is not yet clear, but only hours later Transport Minister Hisham Arafat resigned.

During a visit to the scene, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouli vowed to punish severely anyone who was found to have been negligent.

“We will identify who is responsible for the accident and they will be held accountable,” he said.

President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi extended his condolences to the families of those who died and pledged to ensure that the injured received the support they needed.

Egypt’s railway system has a poor safety record, which many observers blame on a lack of investment by successive governments and poor management.

In August 2017, 43 people were killed and more than 100 injured when two passenger trains collided outside the Mediterranean port city of Alexandria.

The country’s deadliest rail accident occurred south of Cairo in 2002, when a fire ripped through an overcrowded passenger train, killing more than 370 people.

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Chief Assignment editor is Oleg Siziakov

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