Information remains sketchy about the number of casualties from a train crash in a Cairo suburb earlier today. Reports on mainstream media ranged from deaths and injuries [1] – to no deaths and just injuries [2], in the accident where a passenger train derailed and caught fire.
On Twitter, journalists competed on breaking the news.
Al Jazeera English Cairo correspondent Sherine Tadros tweeted:
@SherineT [3]: Casualties (no number) at train crash site in cairo suburb. Accident happened after trains collided and one derailed #Egypt
Sky News’ Tim Marshall added:
@Skytwitius [4]: We are hearing at least 3 dead and dozens injured in Cairo train crash on line towards Giza.
And long-time Middle East resident Angus Blair pointed fingers:
@AngusBlair1 [5]: The tragic train crash outside #Cairo indicates how much needs to be done to upgrade #Egypt's aged & underinvested railways
Meanwhile, Swedish Broadcasting foreign news journalist JoMa Sommarstrom tweeted from the hospital:
@ekmathia [6]: At the hospital, 17 injured in train crash #Cairo
And Sherif Aboualam jokes [ar]:
Muslim Brotherhood member Mohamed Morsi was elected as the new president of Egypt last month. He replaces Hosni Mubarak, whose 32-year reign ended with a popular revolution against him and his regime.
The Twitter user is referring to the 2006 drowning of a ferry [8] in the Red Sea, which killed more than 1,000 people, and the Algeria-Egypt qualifying match [9]for the World Cup, which turned into a face off and diplomatic spat between the two countries in 2009.