UN Says Attacks in Beirut, Tehran Are a Dangerous Escalation

 Paris 2024 Olympics - Paris, France - July 26, 2024. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres meets with International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach (unseen) ahead of the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. (Reuters)
Paris 2024 Olympics - Paris, France - July 26, 2024. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres meets with International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach (unseen) ahead of the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. (Reuters)
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UN Says Attacks in Beirut, Tehran Are a Dangerous Escalation

 Paris 2024 Olympics - Paris, France - July 26, 2024. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres meets with International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach (unseen) ahead of the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. (Reuters)
Paris 2024 Olympics - Paris, France - July 26, 2024. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres meets with International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach (unseen) ahead of the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. (Reuters)

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres believes that attacks in Beirut and Tehran this week mark a "dangerous escalation" of the conflict in the Middle East, his spokesperson said on Wednesday.

"It is increasingly clear ... that restraint alone is insufficient at this extremely sensitive time. The Secretary-General urges all to vigorously work toward regional de-escalation in the interest of long-term peace and stability for all," spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.



At Least 8 People are Killed When Passenger Train Slams into Minibus in Egypt

Egyptians look at the crash of two trains that collided near the Khorshid station in Egypt's coastal city of Alexandria, Egypt August 11, 2017. REUTERS/Osama Nageb
Egyptians look at the crash of two trains that collided near the Khorshid station in Egypt's coastal city of Alexandria, Egypt August 11, 2017. REUTERS/Osama Nageb
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At Least 8 People are Killed When Passenger Train Slams into Minibus in Egypt

Egyptians look at the crash of two trains that collided near the Khorshid station in Egypt's coastal city of Alexandria, Egypt August 11, 2017. REUTERS/Osama Nageb
Egyptians look at the crash of two trains that collided near the Khorshid station in Egypt's coastal city of Alexandria, Egypt August 11, 2017. REUTERS/Osama Nageb

A train slammed into a minibus that was crossing the tracks in an unauthorized location in norther Egypt on Thursday, killing at least eight people and leaving 12 injured, the government said.

The deadly crash took place in the Suez Canal province of Ismailia, the health ministry said. More than a dozen ambulances were sent to the scene, Reuters reported.

The Egyptian railway authority said the passenger train was on its regular route when the collision occurred. The place where the minibus was crossing the railway tracks is not designated for crossing.

Local Egyptian news outlets said the victims, who included children, were all take to East Qantara Central Hospital. One child was reported to be in critical condition.

Train derailments and crashes are common in Egypt, where an aging railway system has also been plagued by mismanagement. Last October, a locomotive crashed into the tail of a Cairo-bound passenger train in southern Egypt, killing at least one person. In September, two passenger trains collided in a Nile Delta city, killing at least three people.

In recent years, the government has announced initiatives to improve its railways. President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi said in 2018 that some 250 billion Egyptian pounds, or $8.13 billion, would be needed to properly overhaul the neglected rail network.