Egypt father throws his three children onto train tracks
Three children killed in Egypt after father throws them onto oncoming train
Three children were thrown onto the path of an oncoming train by their own father, Egyptian media reported, in a crime that has shocked the nation.
The children died immediately [File Photo: Getty]
A father has sent shockwaves across Egypt this week after throwing his three children in the path of an oncoming train, local media reported.
The man, identified as Mohammed Ali, immediately killed his children in the incident that took place in the village of Al-Maasara in Egypt's Minya governorate on Friday.
Local authorities who attended the aftermath of the crime found eight-year-old, six-year-old and four-year-old dead at the scene.
"Prelimarny investigations revealed that the accused suffers from a mental illness," local media Al-Masry Al-Youm reported, noting he had been referred to the public prosecution pending further investigation.
It was the second shocking crime to hit Egypt this month, with Egyptian media reporting that a man killed five members of his own family after setting them alight over a dispute on expenses just last week.
The man, identified as Hossam, was arrested and is awaiting legal proceedings after setting fire to his apartment, where his 70-year-old mother, wife (41) and four daughters (17, ten, six and three) were.
The 17-year-old was the sole survivor of the fire and has been transported to hospital where she is being treated for her injuries.
The incident in Asyut was triggered by an argument over expenses, local media reported, though no further details were provided.
Civil defence forces swiftly moved to contain the fire after a number of reports from neighbours. The first floor of the home was completely destroyed, authorities said.
Also this month, a mother and father returned from a quick errand in Saudi Arabia to find their five children dead, local media reported.
The couple, who were just six kilometres away from the house in Saudi's Al-Ahsa governate, knocked on the door when returning but found no answer.
The father then climbed into the home using a ladder only to discover his 20-year-old son hanged in a room and four daughters dead with stab wounds to the neck, Okaz reported.
The four daughters - aged between 14 and 22 - were hidden under the staircase, the Saudi paper reported, noting that one had a rope around her neck.
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