Train rams into school bus in Egypt; 47 children, 2 others killed

CAIRO (AFP, REUTERS) - Dozens of nursery school children were among 49 people killed on Saturday when a train ploughed into their bus as it crossed tracks in central Egypt, prompting angry protests and resignations.

All but two of the dead were children, aged around four to eight, said a senior security official in Assiut, near the site. One woman and the bus driver also died, he added.

The bus was broken in half by the force of the crash. Blood was spattered on the front of the engine and school bags and text books, some bloodstained, were strewn around.

Witnesses said barriers at the rail crossing were open when the train hit the bus.