From Amir Ahmed, CNN
updated 7:02 AM EST, Sat November 17, 2012
A crowd gathers at the scene of the bus crash that left 47 children dead.
A bus slammed through a barrier at a railroad crossing and crashed into a train leaving 47 school children dead in Egypt Saturday, the country's state-run Middle East News Agency reported.
The accident in the central Egyptian province of Assiut, prompted some officials to go to the area to give assistance and others to resign from their jobs.
Mohammed Rashad al-Metainy, the minister of transportation has resigned after the deadly crash, saying he accepted "the political responsibility," MENA reported.
Before quitting, the transportation minister also accepted the resignation of the head of the local railroad agency.
There were 60 students on the bus, MENA reported.
The local governor ordered an investigation and pledged assistance to the affected families.