Egypt bus crash kills 50 school children after train collision

Up to 50 people are said to have died, mostly children between four and eight years old, after a speeding train crashed into a school bus in central Egypt. The bus was bringing children to school when it was hit by a train and split in two near the city of Manfalut, south of Cairo, on Saturday morning. Latest reports from senior officialssuggest 50 people have been killed, and all but two were children. One woman and the bus driver also died, according to an official. Reuters reports that anywhere between 15 and 28 children have been injured. Witnesses say the railroad crossing was not closed as the train sped towards it, with transport minister Mohammed el-Meteeni offering his resignationfollowing the tragedy. 'They told us the barriers were open when the bus crossed the tracks and the train collided with it,' said attending doctor Mohamed Samir. A motorist added: 'I saw the train collide with the bus and push it about 1km along the track.' Egypt's railway system has a notoriously poor safety record, blamed on badly maintained equipment and poor management. In 2002, 363 people were killed when a train heading to southernEgypt caught fire. Transport Minister Mohamed Rashad and the head of the railways authority have already resigned.