CAIRO: Egypt's Transport Minister Mohammad Rashad al-Metini and the head of the Egyptian Railway Authority have resigned in the wake of Assuit road crash which killed at least 40 school children on Saturday, state media reported.
El-Metiny said responsibility for the accident ultimately falls on him.
Head of the Railway Authority, Mostafa Qenawi, also submitted his resignation and will fall under investigation on the accident, Egypt's (Al-Ahram) reported.
There were about 60 children between 4 and 6 years old on the bus when the crash occurred as the bus crossed tracks near a village in Manfaloot district in the southern province of Assiut.
Egypt's railway system has a poor safety record, mostly blamed on badly maintained equipment, poor management and reckless driving.
According to a report published in July 2011 by the Central Authority for Public Transport, road and rail accidents claimed over 7,000 lives in Egypt in 2010 a rise of 7.9 per cent over the previous year. (QNA)
