16 Injured, 2 Killed in Egypt Train Accident: Health Ministry
Egypt’s health ministry reported that Tuesday’s train accident north of Cairo resulted in the deaths of two individuals and the injuries of several others.
According to a ministry statement, there were two fatalities in the Qalyub train accident, while the injured are in stable condition.
An earlier ministry tally indicated one fatality and 16 injuries, of which six had been treated and released.
The incident occurred in Qalyub, in the Nile Delta, just north of Cairo.
According to the Egyptian national rail authority, the accident occurred when a passenger train entering the Qalyub station disregarded a stop signal.
The authority stated in a statement that the locomotive and the first carriage derailed as a result.
Images from the scene depicted first responders converging on upright-appearing rail cars behind a high wall in a densely populated area.
The police formed a perimeter to contain crowds perched on nearby walls.
A crane was subsequently brought in to lift a partially crumpled derailed train.
The majority of Egyptian rail accidents have been attributed to inadequate infrastructure and maintenance.
Transport Minister Kamel el-Wazir fired the head of the rail authority in April 2021, following an uproar in the most populous Arab nation over the mismanagement of deteriorating train lines.
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The dismissal occurred two days after an accident that claimed 23 lives.
Ashraf Raslan was fired as part of a reorganization of 10 top railway officials.
“The objective of these decisions is not simply to change the leadership of the authority; rather, they are in line with the next phase, which requires a complete upgrade of the railway network,” the transport ministry stated at the time.
According to a statement, the “ongoing changes aim to provide better services, working around the clock to serve commuters and to upgrade… this essential service that transports millions of passengers annually.”
At least 20 people were killed and nearly 200 were injured in a train accident in southern Egypt in March 2021, according to a number that authorities revised multiple times.
The prosecution service later alleged that the driver and assistant of the speeding Egyptian train had both left the driver’s cabin before the collision with the stationary train.
The prosecutor also alleged that the assistant on the second train had used cannabis and was under the influence of the painkiller tramadol, as was a track signalman.
Wazir, a former general, was appointed transport minister after a train collision in 2019 that was attributed to human error.
He stated, “We have a problem with the human element” and pledged to implement an automated network by 2024.
President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has vowed to hold accountable those responsible for the repeated fatal accidents on Egypt’s railways over the past several years.
In 2002, a fire ripped through a packed train south of the capital, killing 373 individuals.
The roads of Egypt are also the scene of frequent fatal accidents. Frequently, roads are poorly maintained and driving laws are disregarded.
