On Wednesday, a massive fire erupted at Cairo's main railway station, setting the platform ablaze. At least 25 people have been reported dead and over 40 others injured. Egyptian officials have since warned that the death toll may rise due to the severity of the injuries.
Following the circulation of the news, many took to Twitter to mourn the lives of those who were killed. Calls for blood donors also began making the rounds on the micro-blogging platform.
Here's everything you need to know about the deadly train crash:
*Videos and images capturing the incident are available online but we choose not to share such graphic content in line with ethical standards.
What happened?
On Feb. 27, a train crashed into a concrete barrier at Ramses Station, Cairo's main railway station, ultimately exploding after the fuel tank caught fire.
It was initially reported that the train was undergoing maintenance and was moving without a conductor. However, an investigation into the crash explained otherwise.
On Wednesday, Egypt's prosecutor said the crash took place after a fight broke out between two train conductors. One of the drivers stepped down from the train without switching off the engine. The train continued to move, caught speed, and ultimately crashed into the platform.
The driver of the train has since been arrested.
Egypt's transportation minister resigned following the tragic incident
Following the crash, Egypt's Transport Minister Hisham Arafat resigned from his position. This came hours after Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly promised action would be taken if "negligence was found."
"Any person found to be negligent will be held accountable and it will be severe."
Hours later, the cabinet announced that the PM had accepted Arafat's resignation.
The country has long been criticized for its poor road infrastructure, including its railway systems. There was a total of 1,793 train accidents in 2017, up from 1,249 in 2016.
In 2013, it was revealed that road accidents kill as many as 10,000 people in Egypt every year. The country has a road traffic fatality rate of 42 per every 100,000 people, compared with 5.2 per 100,000 in Sweden, according to IRIN.
A railway worker saved the lives of 10 people
Following the tragic incident, CCTV footage of one man's attempt to save the lives of those around him began making the rounds online.
The man - since identified as Walid Mardi - is a worker at the Watania Sleeping Trains and Catering Services. The worker reportedly saved the lives of 10 people following the explosion.
In the video, the man can be seen throwing water on people who were burning alive in an attempt to burn out the flames.
"The fire was burning the people. My only thoughts were focused on extinguishing the fire," Mardi told the local site Masrawy.
"The victims were screaming and crying. The scene of the fire was very hard," he added.
Egypt's deadliest railway crash took place in 2002
In 2002, Egypt witnessed its deadliest rail incident in history after a fire broke out in a passenger train. More than 370 were killed in the tragic fire.
The fire blasted through an overcrowded passenger train which was commuting Egyptians home for Eid al-Adha. Passengers were reported to have jumped from the train's doors and windows to escape the flames.
The train did not have a fire alarm system in place, which made it impossible for the driver to be aware of the flames. According to The Guardian, he stopped after "feeling the heat and hearing the screams behind him."
Railroad crashes happen almost every year
The country has a tragic history of deadly railway incidents, dating as early as the 90s.
In 1995, there were three deadly railroad incidents reported in Egypt. In April, a train and a bus collided in Nile Delta, leaving 49 people dead. One month later, nine people were killed in a crash north of Cairo after a train hit a barrier and derailed of its tracks. In December of that year, 75 people were killed after a train crashed into the back of another due to thick fog.
In 1998, a train ran into a crowded market south of Alexandria, after failing to come to a stop, killing about 50 people. The following year, at least 10 people were killed after two trains collided.
There were two reported crashes in 1999, two in 2006, one in 2009, and four in 2012.
In 2013, a train crashed into a minibus, leaving at least 26 people dead.
In August 2017, two passenger trains collided right outside the Egyptian city of Alexandria. The incident left 43 people dead and over 100 others injured.