Investigations reveal cause of Alexandria train accident

CAIRO –11 November 2017: Investigations with 10 officials from the Egyptian Railway Authority about the Port Said railway train, which broke down in Ezbet al-Sheikh village in August, revealed on Saturday that the driver of the Express 13 train, Emad Helmy, was the cause of the accident.

The Express 13 train was run at a very high speed, ignoring all fixed signals and shooting the red light, which led to the tragic accident, added the investigation.
While the 571 train was not broken down, it was awaiting the Express 13 train to arrive at Sidi Gaber railway station, and the driver of the 571 train lit the red light, but the Express 13 train was going too fast to stop and collided with it.

The Alexandria Criminal Court is dealing with the case after completing the investigations, letting the prosecution to start hearings next month.The Alexandria prosecution has decided to remand into custody the driver and assistant of the Port Said railway train.

The prosecution has decided to release five other employees after hearing their testimonies regarding the train collision.Meanwhile, the prosecution has decided to summon ten officials of the Alexandria Railway Authority to hear their testimonies about the collision that left 41 dead and 182 others injured.

Earlier, the East Alexandria prosecution had decided to hold the driver of the Express 13 train, 41-year-old Emad Helmy, for 15 days in custody. The inspector of the train was put under tight security in Gamal Abdel Nasser Hospital, where he is being treated.

The KBC equipment of the train, which should help determine what caused the accident, was sent to forensics to be inspected and emptied. The prosecution ordered the release of employees of the other train and the station. Blood and urine samples were taken from the Cairo train driver and his assistant to determine whether they were under the influence of any narcotics.

The head of the Sidi Gaber station was summoned Friday night and questioned about what could have caused the accident and about his role as an official in coordinating successive trains.

The Express 13 train was heading from Cairo to Alexandria on Friday, August 11 at 2:15 p.m. when it collided with the 571 train coming from Port Said to Alexandria, near Khorshid station. The accident caused more than 40 fatalities and 170 injuries, according to the Ministry of Health and Population.