Train Fire Kills at Least 100 in Egypt

A crowded passenger train caught fire as it headed south early today, killing at least 100 people and trapping another 100, police said. Some died as they jumped from the blazing, moving train and others died on board.

The death toll rose as rescuers searched charred train cars hours after the fire broke out. Egypt’s Middle East New Agency reported that the cause of the fire was a ruptured gas cylinder used for cooking in the train cafe.

Police said the fire erupted in one of the 11 cars of the morning train from the capital, Cairo, to Luxor, about 310 miles south.

Several other cars caught fire, and the train traveled in flames for four miles before finally stopping at Ayyat, 46 miles south of Cairo.

Rescuers continued to battle flames this morning.

Between 100 and 150 people were believed trapped on the train, and 65 others were being treated for injuries, police said.

Police and villagers taking part in rescue efforts found cars burned to their steel frames. One officer described the scene as “hell.”

Thirty ambulances and 25 fire trucks from Cairo were dispatched to the scene, the news agency reported.

Mosques were opened to the survivors, and villagers supplied blankets, food and drinks to the stranded passengers.

The rail line linking Cairo with southern Egypt was closed indefinitely.

Each car designed to accommodate about 150 passengers was reportedly crammed with about 300 passengers.

Many of them were traveling to their home villages to spend the upcoming holiday of Eid al-Adha, or the Feast of the Sacrifice.

Eid al-Adha, one of Islam’s major holidays, commemorates Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son to God. The four-day holiday begins Friday.