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Associated Press

A fight between two train drivers unleashed a speeding, unmanned locomotive that slammed into a barrier and exploded in the Egyptian capital’s main railway station Wednesday, killing at least 25 people, authorities said.
Railway officials said the single railcar collided head-on with the buffer stop, causing a huge explosion and fire. At least 47 people were also injured, many of them critically.
The deadly blaze blasted through people on the platform in the busy Ramses Station in downtown Cairo.
A surveillance video showed the moment of impact when the car barrelled past men and women walking by and engulfed them in flames and smoke.
Egypt’s Prosecutor General Nabil Sadek said investigators determined the locomotive’s driver had left his car to fight with another driver whose railcar was blocking his.

But the conductor left without putting on the brakes and the other car began moving backward, freeing the locomotive, which then gathered speed and hit the concrete-and-metal barrier, exploding.
“The driver left the railcar without taking any measures to brake it,” Sadek said in a statement.
Sadek put the death toll at 20 while health officials said at least 25 people were killed and dozens more were injured in the crash and ensuing fire. Some of the bodies were burnt beyond recognition and DNA tests were carried out to determine identities.
The driver of the railcar has been under interrogation and Sadek said the investigation was continuing.
The deadly accident prompted Transport Minister Hisham Arafat to resign his post, according to a statement released by the Cabinet office.

The Ramses district is among the busiest and most crowded areas of Cairo. The state railway agency briefly halted all train traffic and ordered the evacuation of the station.
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.
Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouli vowed harsh punishment for those behind the accident.
Egypt’s railway system has a history of badly maintained equipment and poor management. Official figures show that 1,793 train accidents took place in 2017 across the country.
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.
In August 2017, two passenger trains collided just outside the Mediterranean port city of Alexandria, killing 43 people.
In 2016, at least 51 people were killed when two commuter trains collided near Cairo.
The deadliest train crash took place in 2002 when over 300 people were killed when fire erupted in speeding train travelling from Cairo to southern Egypt.
Additional reporting by Agence France-Presse


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Egypt

Fight between drivers led to fiery train crash in Cairo that killed 25

The train engine slammed into the buffers at the end of the track at high speed, sparking a major blaze that blackened the walls of the Ramses station. Photo: AP

(190227) -- CAIRO, Feb. 27, 2019 (Xinhua) -- Rescuers work at the train station after a fire in Cairo, Egypt, Feb. 27, 2019. At least 20 people were killed and more than 40 others wounded when a fire erupted inside the main train station in the city center of Egypt's capital Cairo on Wednesday, state-run Nile TV reported. (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa)

(190227) -- CAIRO, Feb. 27, 2019 (Xinhua) -- Photo taken on Feb. 27, 2019 shows the charred train at the train station after a fire in Cairo, Egypt. At least 20 people were killed and more than 40 others wounded when a fire erupted inside the main train station in the city center of Egypt's capital Cairo on Wednesday, state-run Nile TV reported. (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa)

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Egypt’s public prosecutor said a preliminary investigation indicated the driver stepped off the train to argue with another driver without pulling the hand brake
Egypt’s transport minister resigned hours after the prime minister promised a tough response if any negligence was found


Egypt’s public prosecutor said a preliminary investigation indicated the driver stepped off the train to argue with another driver without pulling the hand brake.
