At least 19 killed in Egypt train crash

A military train carrying young recruits to an army camp derailed in a Cairo suburb on Tuesday, killing at least 19 people and injuring over a hundred others.

The train was travelling from Upper Egypt to Cairo when it crashed in the Giza neighbourhood of Badrashin, according to security officials.

Egypt's health minister said those injured had been taken to local hospitals.

But one eyewitness said the emergency response was dismal.

(SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) EYEWITNESS, MOHAMED ASHRAF, SAYING:

"This is the third accident since the new regime took over, but nothing's new. Can you imagine that media crews arrived at the scene of the accident before any paramedics or even any officials? Where is the new regime? There is no country."

A volunteer working in a hospital added that the injured were suffering from a lack of medicine and care.

(SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) EGYPTIAN VOLUNTEER, MOHAMED SAAD, SAYING:

"These people are suffering from a lack of medicine, bad management and other things. We are buying medical stuff on our own. I have just asked a doctor to stitch the head of one of the injured people and he said that he didn't have his equipment."

Egypt's roads and railways have a poor safety record, and Egyptians have long complained that successive governments have failed to enforce even basic safeguards.

In November, at least 50 people, mostly children, were killed when a train slammed into a school bus at a rail crossing south of Cairo.