The driver and his assistant were not in the vehicle

The Egyptian Prosecution announces the results of its investigations into the collision of the Sohag trains

The collision resulted in 20 deaths and 199 injuries.

Archives

Yesterday, the Egyptian Public Prosecution announced the results of its investigations in the case of a collision of two trains last month, which left 20 dead and dozens injured in the Sohag Governorate in Upper Egypt, and reported that the driver and assistant of the "Spanish" express train were not present in the driving car at the time of the accident.

The public prosecution statement said that the investigations revealed that "the distinctive train between the two stations of Maragha and Tahta railway stopped until the arrival of the Spanish train from the Sohag railway station, and collided with the stopped train, so the accident occurred, which resulted in the death of 20 people, and the injury of 199."

The statement, which was published by the prosecution on its official page on the social networking site “Facebook,” indicated that “the Forensic Medical Authority was categorically not permissible for them (the driver and assistant of the Spanish train) to stay in the front cabin, as alleged.”

Investigations also reported that the drivers had stopped the automatic braking and control device on the two trains, claiming that it had obstructed the movement of the train and delayed its arrival at the stations.

The Egyptian Attorney General, Hamada Al-Sawy, decided at the end of last month to detain the drivers and assistants of the two trains involved in the accident, as well as four officials of the Railways Authority, as a precaution, pending investigations.

The Egyptian Minister of Transport, Kamel al-Wazir, referred to human error as one of the causes of such accidents, confirming that the railway automation system will be completed in 2024.

It is noteworthy that the deadliest train accidents in Egypt occurred in 2002, when 361 people were killed after a crowded train south of the capital caught fire.

• Investigations indicate that the automatic control system was stopped in the two trains.

Follow our latest local and sports news, and the latest political and economic developments via Google news