The Manfalut Train-bus collision occurred on 17 November 2012 when a
school bus
A school bus is any type of bus owned, leased, contracted to, or operated by a school or school district. It is regularly used to Student transport, transport students to and from school or school-related activities, but not including a charter ...
, which was carrying about 70 school children between four and six years old, was hit by a train on a rail crossing near Manfalut,
Egypt
Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...
, 350 km (230 miles) south of the
Egypt
Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...
ian capital
Cairo
Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...
. At least 50 children and the bus driver died in the crash, and about 17 people were injured. Witnesses reported that barriers at the crossing were not closed when the crash occurred.
The train that struck the bus was an
Egyptian Railways
Egyptian National Railways (ENR; ) is the national railway of Egypt and managed by the parastatal Egyptian Railway Authority (ERA; ).
History 1833–1877
In 1833, Muhammad Ali Pasha considered building a railway between Suez and Cairo to impr ...
passenger train
A passenger train is a train used to transport people along a railroad line, as opposed to a freight train that carries goods. These trains may consist of unpowered passenger railroad cars (also known as coaches or carriages) push-pull train, ...
, which was pulled by two
Egyptian Railways
Egyptian National Railways (ENR; ) is the national railway of Egypt and managed by the parastatal Egyptian Railway Authority (ERA; ).
History 1833–1877
In 1833, Muhammad Ali Pasha considered building a railway between Suez and Cairo to impr ...
Henschel
Henschel & Son () was a German company, located in Kassel, best known during the 20th century as a maker of transportation equipment, including locomotives, trucks, buses and trolleybuses, and armoured fighting vehicles and weapons.
Georg C ...
AA22T diesel locomotives, ENR 3054 and ENR 3086. After the crash, a number of people began searching the tracks to find the remains of their children and victims they knew. Additionally, schoolbags and schoolbooks were scattered across the tracks. Police did not arrive until two hours after the accident, and by the time the first ambulance came, most of the children were dead. Afterwards, the families of the victims protested at the crash site.
The Egyptian minister of transportation, Mohammad Rashad Al Matini, and the head of the railways authority resigned after the accident. President