Cairo, February 27: A freak train crash in the Egypt capital on Wednesday led to the death of at least 20 people. The fatal incident was reported at Cairo's Ramses railway station, where an arriving train rammed into a steel barrier. The fiery crash sparked an unprecedented fire, which led to the casualties. Apart from the deceased, 40 others were left injured, with condition of few victims stated to be critical.

Photos being aired on local media showed a thick cloud of black smoke billowing around the station. Firefighters were seen hosing down the charred wreckage of the train. Footage also showed fire engulfing the train and a nearby platform and people rushing to help the casualties. South Africa Train Collision leaves 3 Dead, Injures over 600 Passengers.

Ambulances and rescue teams were dispatched to the site, medical sources said. "Any person found to be negligent will be held accountable and it will be severe," Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouli said as he arrived at the site.

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. The official statistics agency says there were 1,793 train accidents in 2017.

(With PTI inputs)

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 27, 2019 05:06 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).