At least four Egyptians were killed and 33 people injured in a train crash in Fayoum on Saturday, when a train travelling south from Cairo hit another heading in the opposite direction, a report from the Ministry of Health indicated.

Ahmed Ali Ahmed, governor of the city of Fayoum, situated 91 kilometres south of Cairo, told the Al Jazeera Mubashar Misr news that "a criminal investigation has been launched to find out the reasons that led to the accident."

Egyptians have long complained that successive governments have failed to enforce basic safety standards on the country's railways, leading to a string of deadly accidents.