A commuter train headed to Sohag from Cairo derailed on Tuesday in the Badrasheen neighbourhood of Giza injuring dozens. At the time of printing there was no confirmed count of injuries or fatalities if any. Reports indicated that the accidents may have been separate. In Kafr Dawar a train was reported to have hit a truck trailer as it entered an underpass.
Another report suggested that two trains collided after hitting barriers placed on the track by disgruntled passengers from another train. Egyptian National Railways told state-run news agency MENA that there were few injuries while Sherine Tadros from Al-Jazeera reported casualties at the site.
Train accidents in Egypt often are often an illustration of the nation’s larger crumbling infrastructure. In October 2009, two trains collided at high speed south of Cairo, killing 18 and injuring dozens. Eight railway employees were convicted of involuntary manslaughter and negligence and given sentences ranging from 3 to 7 years, including two train drivers, conductors and signalmen. One train had stopped unexpectedly after hitting a cow but failed to communicate the unscheduled stop resulting in a second train hitting it from the other direction. However, many people observing the trial believe that the blame is on the system in these situations. Improper equipment, alert systems, or training can result in tragedies where lower ranking staff are made scapegoats.
