Judge renews detention of train operator, 2 minibus drivers involved in Helwan railway crash

CAIRO - 25 June 2021: A judge ordered on Thursday renewing the detention of a train driver and two minibus drivers who are involved in a railway crash in Helwan for 15 days pending investigation.

The crash caused two girls to die and injured six others.

The Helwan prosecution earlier ordered conducting a drug test for the two minibus drivers, who fled to Alexandria after the incident, according to an official statement.

On Monday, a freight train collided with two minibuses that stopped too close to the rail tracks in a residential area.

The driver pulled the brake but could not stop the train before it touched a minibus and collided into another, the Egyptian National Railways said in a statement.

Transport Minister Kamel El-Wazir in remarks to media said the train driver escaped from the scene and turned himself in to the police.

He added that the driver received negative drug test results right after the incident.

Also, on Tuesday, a locomotive collided into a train in Alexandria’s Misr Station, causing 40 injuries and no fatalities, according to the Health Ministry.

Several train accidents have occurred during the past few months, with authorities working on developing the railway sector.

The development plans include installing automatic train control and replacing rail cars with new ones.