In Pics: Ministry of Transport renews site of Ramses train fire

CAIRO - 15 April 2019: The Ministry of Transport completed the renovation of the fire site in Ramses Railway Station in central Cairo and repaired the pavement damaged by the fire.

The ministry also completed the renovation of the building damaged by the collision that led to the fire, according to official sources on Saturday.

The Ministry of Transport assigned the renovation works to Nile Company for the construction of roads affiliated to the Ministry of Transport.

A train locomotive, with no driver on board, was seen moving at an extremely high speed and crashing into the platform's buffer stop, causing an explosion of the fuel tank and triggering a huge blaze that left 22 people dead, and 41 injured, according to the health minister's latest remarks. Police ordered taking DNA samples from the dead to know their relatives.

The accused driver, Alaa Fathy, said that the crashed locomotive was hit by another locomotive moving in an opposite direction at the maintenance area, pushing Fathy to change the locomotive to another direction. Then, Fathy got out of the rail car and quarreled with his colleague without braking.

Consequently, the locomotive moved and crashed into the platform, according to the initial investigations.

Meanwhile, the General Prosecution has asked for the National Security investigative reports to probe into any possible link between the driver and outlawed terrorist organizations.

The source said it was not the first incident of its kind, as two trains had moved before without drivers.

The first time was in Alexandria two years ago, he said, adding that the train at the time moved on its own, while it was maintained.Another train moved from one of the workshops of Ramses Station a year and a half ago and was controlled without losses.