2 homemade bombs damage railways, bus station in Sharqiya

Two explosions shook Sharqiya governorate awake on Friday morning. No casualties were reported in either incident.

Investigations revealed that the first blast occurred when a homemade bomb detonated on the railway between the villages of Meet Hamal and Gawsak, near the city of Belbeis. The bomb partially destroyed the train tracks, and created a half-meter deep crater in the ground at the site of the explosion. Trains between Cairo and Belbeis were halted for three hours on Friday as a result.

Also on Friday, a second homemade bomb went off in an East Delta Bus station in the town of Minya al-Kameh, reported the state-owned news site EgyNews. The blast reportedly caused massive damage to two buses parked nearby. No passengers were aboard at the time of the explosion.

The prosecution has begun investigations into the incident. The Egyptian Railway Authority and the Holding Company for Maritime and Land Transport will form two committees to evaluate the losses incurred.

In April, unidentified assailants firebombed a train in Zagazig, the capital of Sharqiya. Two cars were completely destroyed in the resulting blaze, and at least 18 people were injured due to smoke inhalation and shock.

Former President Mohamed Morsi hails from the troubled governorate, which has witnessed several violent attacks on police facilities and personnel over the past year. In May,a  police officer was kidnapped by an armed group in Belbeis. He was later found in a deserted area with minor wounds.