More than 36 people were killed and 120 injured in a train collision in the Egyptian coastal city of Alexandria yesterday.

One train had been travelling from the capital Cairo, the other from Port Said in the north, when they crashed head-on at speed during Friday evening rush hour.

Transport ministry officials said the accident was probably caused by a malfunction in one of the trains that brought it to a halt on the rails. The other train is then thought to have crashed into it.

In pictures circulated on social media, nearly a dozen wounded and dead could be seen lying next to the crash site covered in blankets.

Dr Mohamed Abu Homs, the head of the ambulance services in Alexandria's western sector, said he fears the death toll and the number of injured could rise further.

Egypt's transport minister ordered an investigation into the crash, pledging to "hold accountable" whoever was responsible.