Egypt's parliament has questioned Transport Minister Kamel el-Wazir over the train collision in al-Ayyat that killed seven people and injured 125, as investigators say the safety system on one of the trains had been disabled.

The House of Representatives' Transport and Communications Committee held an emergency session on Tuesday, with the minister attending in person to answer questions about Sunday's crash and the government's handling of its aftermath.

What happened on Sunday

Two passenger trains collided on Sunday afternoon in al-Ayyat district, in Giza governorate about 52 kilometres south of Cairo. Train No. 134, a Giza-to-Fayoum service, ran into the rear of Train No. 2010, a Cairo-to-Aswan service that was stationary on the same track between Kafr Ammar and al-Raqqa stations.

Several carriages derailed and fell down an embankment. Egypt's Health Ministry said seven people were killed, including the driver of Train No. 134, and 125 people were injured. Hospitals in Giza and neighbouring Beni Suef were put on heightened alert, and more than 70 of the injured had been discharged by Monday.

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi ordered an urgent investigation and said anyone found to have been negligent would be held to account. The prime minister's office said the government would provide full medical care for the injured.

What the inquiry has found so far

Egypt's Public Prosecution said on Monday that a technical examination had found the automatic control system on Train No. 134 had been disabled, and that the train's logbook had been altered. A committee of engineering professors from Cairo University is examining the crash, but no final cause has been confirmed and no one has been convicted.

Al-Ayyat was also the scene of Egypt's deadliest rail disaster, in 2002, when a fire on a passenger train travelling from Cairo to Luxor killed more than 360 people.

Parliament demands answers

Committee chair Wahid Qorqar asked Speaker Hisham Badawy to convene the emergency session on Monday, and the request was approved, with invitations sent to the minister and other officials. The committee said the meeting was intended to establish the real causes of the crash and find practical solutions, rather than to confront the minister with pre-set accusations.

Abdel Moneim Imam, a member of parliament and head of the Justice Party, told Al Jazeera the situation required decisive action. His party filed three urgent motions calling for the minister to be summoned before parliament.

The Transport Ministry says about $37 billion was allocated to transport investment between 2014 and 2024, including railway modernisation. The minister visited the crash site on Sunday and has not resigned.

Sources: Egypt Daily News and Al Jazeera via 234 Radio.