Driver of deadly train was drug addict: Lawmaker

CAIRO – 2 March 2019: Driver of the deadly train locomotive had been suspended from his work for six months due to drug addiction, said Deputy head of the Transportation Committee at the House of Representatives Mohamed Zain on Saturday.

"The head of Egyptian National Railways (ENR) told me that the driver, who caused the locomotive explosion, was suspended from his work for six months due to drug addiction. But he returned back after servicing the [administrative] punishment," Zain told Egypt Today, adding the driver should, at that time, be referred to the prosecution.

"How come we entrust the Egyptian lives to a drug addict," the parliamentarian said, criticizing absence of a driver assistant.

Attorney-General Nabil Sadeq ordered on Friday the arrest of the driver of the deadly locomotive that crashed at Cairo main railway station on Wednesday for four days pending investigation.

Investigation revealed that the driver left the locomotive with its engine on to check another locomotive in the opposite direction that rammed into it and stuck with it. The arrest warrant included six individuals, including drivers of both trains, their assistants and the rail workers on the accusation of manslaughter and vandalism.

The prosecution announced that the driver is mainly responsible for the accident that claimed the lives of 22 people at Ramses Train station in downtown Cairo.


Additional reporting by Ahmed Arafa