CAIRO: The number of people killed after vehicles waiting at a level crossing in Egypt were hit by a runaway truck and shunted into the path of a train has risen to 44, a security official said on Friday.
Eight Libyans were among the dead and at least 38 people were injured in Wednesday s crash, including eight who are listed in a serious condition, the official added.
The crash occurred 80 kilometers east of the Mediterranean city of Marsa Matrouh after a truck ploughed into traffic at the closed level crossing, pushing a bus, truck and several cars into the path of the passenger train.
Two carriages were derailed and two others were destroyed in the collision, a police official said on Wednesday.
The crash was the latest in a series of transport disasters in Egypt, most of which have been blamed on negligence and poor maintenance.
At least 58 people were killed and 144 injured in August 2006 when two trains traveling on the same track collided.
Egypt s worst rail accident was in February 2002 when at least 361 people died after they were trapped in carriages when a fire broke out.
Egyptian roads are among the most dangerous in the world. Around 6,000 people are killed and 30,000 injured in traffic accidents each year, according to transport ministry figures. -AFP
