Nearly 200 people died on early Wednesday when a train caught fire between Cairo and Luxor, 70 km south of the Egyptian capital, police said.
The packed train caught fire at 2 am (midnight GMT) near the town of Al Ayatt but continued to travel for several kilometres, forcing passengers to jump out of the windows, witnesses told police.
Several dozen bodies have been found beside the tracks and at least 55 injured have been hospitalized, the police said.
Seven carriages of the train carrying families and locals were burnt.
Large numbers of firefighters and police were heading to the scene to aid the injured and pull victims from the carriages, while ambulances rushed injured to three hospitals in the region.
One of the seven carriages was totally burnt out.
The authorities gave no immediate casualty toll.
Police at the scene said the fire may have been started by a short circuit or by the explosion of a small gas canister used by a passenger to heat food. Bureau Report