A locomotive crashed into a barrier at Cairo's main train station at high speed on Wednesday, causing its fuel tank to explode and triggering a huge fire, leaving at least 25 people dead, officials said.
Railway officials said the single railcar was travelling too fast when it collided head-on with the barrier. At least 47 people were also injured.
Ashraf Momtaz, a general railway inspector, told The Associated Press that there were several scenarios for what happened and one was that someone could have set the rail car on high speed, then jumped.“The railcar takes time to speed so there is a chance that someone set it on full speed before leaving,” he said, adding that investigators are considering all scenarios.In general, he said, the accident signals “negligence from the driver and supervisors.
The accident triggered an online debate among many Egyptians, with many blaming the government for not improving railway services in Egypt, even after a series of deadly accidents. Several noted previous statements by Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi expression reservations about spending too much money on improving trains, for lack of funds.Egyptian Health Minister Hala Zayed said that many of the wounded are in critical condition, mostly suffering severe burns.
In July 2018, a passenger train derailed near the southern city of Aswan, injuring at least six people and prompting authorities to fire the chief of the country's railways.
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