The collision took place during the evening rush hour in the northern province of Mansura, 130 kilometres north-east of Cairo.

Police said the trains hit each other head-on near Shirbin station, on the main railway line between Cairo and Damietta.

Initial investigations showed the accident was caused by a signal operator who failed to stop one of the trains, according to Egypt's Middle East News Agency.

Trains 'on single track'

Initial reports say they were travelling in opposite directions on a single track when they slammed into each other.

Reports say both were trains packed with workers returning home.

Egypt has a history of train accidents with heavy casualties.

In November 1998, 47 people were killed when a train jumped its tracks near Kafr el-Dawar, 30 kilometres southeast of the port of Alexandria.

The most serious crash was in December 1995, when one train crashed into another in fog south of Cairo, killing 75 people and injuring 76.