CAIRO (AP) — Two passenger trains collided in Egypt’s Nile Delta on Saturday, killing at least three people, two of them children, authorities said.
The crash happened in the city of Zagazig, the capital of Sharqiya province, the country's railway authority said in a statement. Egypt's Health Ministry said the collision injured at least 40 others.
Train derailments and crashes are common in Egypt, where an aging railway system has also been plagued by mismanagement. In recent years, the government announced initiatives to improve its railways.
In 2018, President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi said some 250 billion Egyptian pounds, or $8.13 billion, would be needed to properly overhaul the North African country’s neglected rail network.
Video from the site of the crash showed a train car crumpled by the impact, surrounded by crowds. Men tried to lift the injured through the windows of a passenger car.
Last month, a train crashed into a truck crossing the train tracks in the Mediterranean province of Alexandria, killing two people.
People surround a passenger train which collided with another in Egypt's Nile Delta city of Zagazig, the provincial capital of Sharqiya province, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (AP Photo)
People surround two passenger trains which collided in Egypt's Nile Delta city of Zagazig, the provincial capital of Sharqiya province, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (AP Photo)
MANAUS, Brazil (AP) — One of the Amazon River’s main tributaries has dropped to its lowest level in 122 years, Brazil’s geological service said Friday, reflecting a severe drought that has devastated the Amazon rainforest and other parts of the country.
The level of the Negro River at the port of Manaus was at 12.66 meters on Friday, as compared with a normal level of about 21 meters. The previous record low level was recorded last year, but toward the end of October.
The Negro River's water level might drop even further in coming weeks based on forecasts for low rainfall in upstream regions, according to the geological service's predictions. Andre Martinelli, the agency's hydrology manager in Manaus, was quoted as saying the river was expected to continue receding until the end of the month.
Water levels in Brazil’s Amazon always rise and fall with its rainy and dry seasons, but the dry portion of this year has been much worse than usual. All of the major rivers in the Amazon basin are at critical levels, including the Madeira River, the Amazon River’s longest tributary.
The Negro River drains about 10% of the Amazon basin and is the world’s sixth-largest by water volume. Manaus, the biggest city in the rainforest, is where the Negro joins the Amazon River.
Porters carry goods that arrived by boat up stairs on the bank of the Negro River at the port of Manaus, Amazonas state, Brazil, Friday, Oct. 4, 2024, amid a severe drought. (AP Photo/Edmar Barros)
The earth is exposed along the Negro River at the port in Manaus, Amazonas state, Brazil, Friday, Oct. 4, 2024, amid severe drought. (AP Photo/Edmar Barros)
Porters carry goods brought by boat across a dry area of the Negro River at the port in Manaus, Amazonas state, Brazil, Friday, Oct. 4, 2024, amid a severe drought. (AP Photo/Edmar Barros)
Dock worker Francisco Ferreira Pinheiro reads a meter stick in the Negro River at the port in Manaus, Amazonas state, Brazil, Friday, Oct. 4, 2024, amid a severe drought. (AP Photo/Edmar Barros)
A boat is grounded in the Negro River at the port in Manaus, Amazonas state, Brazil, Friday, Oct. 4, 2024, amid severe drought. (AP Photo/Edmar Barros)
A porter carries bananas brought by boat across a dry area of the Negro River at the port in Manaus, Amazonas state, Brazil, Friday, Oct. 4, 2024, amid a severe drought. (AP Photo/Edmar Barros)
A part of the Negro River is dry at the port in Manaus, Amazonas state, Brazil, Friday, Oct. 4, 2024, amid severe drought. (AP Photo/Edmar Barros)
