The New Nation - Internet Edition

AFP, Cairo

Four people died from their injuries overnight after a train crashed into several vehicles in northern Egypt, bringing the total number of dead to 41, a security official told AFP on Thursday.

Authorities were still trying to clear the track, a day after a truck ploughed into traffic at a closed level crossing, pushing a bus, truck and several cars into the path of a passenger train, the official said. At least 40 people were also injured in the crash 80 kilometres (50 miles) east of the Mediterranean city of Marsa Matruh.

The crash was the latest in a series of transport disasters in Egypt, most of which have been blamed on negligence and poor maintenance.

Egyptian roads are among the most dangerous in the world. Around 6,000 people are killed 30,000 injured in traffic accidents each year, according to transport ministry figures.