Egypt's train crash death toll rises to 49

A general view of people by the wreckage after two passenger trains collide in Alexandria, Egypt, on August 11, 2017. [Photo: Imagine China]

The death toll from the train collision in Egypt's Alexandria province has risen to 49, state TV reported on Friday.

The Egyptian health ministry has previously announced that 36 people were killed and more than 120 others injured in a crash between two trains east the coastal city of Alexandria.

However, the ministry also said that the number of casualty may rise due to the seriousness of many injuries.

Earlier in the day, a train from Cairo to Alexandria crashed into the rear of another train on its way from Port Said to Alexandria, leaving dozens killed and injured.

The accident took place in Kourshid area, east of the coastal city of Alexandria.

Right after the collision, Egypt's general prosecutor ordered an urgent investigation into the accident. 

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi has also ordered state bodies to hold those responsible accountable.

Egypt has witnessed a number of deadly train accidents causing hundreds dead and injured.

In 2013, at least 19 were killed in a train derailment in Giza governorate, while a collision in 2012 between a train and a school bus in Upper Egypt killed 51 people, mostly children.