Egyptian Express Train Plows Into Bus Crossing Tracks; 42 Are Killed

An express train plowed into a bus filled with textile workers Saturday in the Nile Delta region, killing 42 people and injuring 45.

The bus, carrying about 90 passengers, was headed to a textile factory when it was struck about 7 a.m. at a rural rail crossing near Quweisna, 36 miles north of Cairo.

There were conflicting reports on whether the bus driver was mistakenly waved through the crossing by a guard or ignored alarm bells. Wreckage from the bus was strewn for 200 yards along the path next to the tracks.

Most of the victims were believed to have been bus passengers, but witnesses said some people riding atop the train--an illegal, yet common, practice--were thrown off and hurt.

Six of the injured were treated and released, while 39 others were taken to nearby hospitals. The bus was traveling from the town of Arab el Ram to the factory in Quweisna.

Witnesses said the bus driver stopped at the crossing, waited for a northbound train to pass and was waved across by a guard.

When he drove onto the tracks, the bus was struck by the southbound express from Alexandria to Cairo, they said.

But an Interior Ministry statement blamed the bus driver, saying he ignored the alarm and warnings from railway guards. There was no barrier at the crossing, just warning signals.