Egypt Probes 8 Suspects in The Sohag Train Collision

Egypt’s top prosecutor ordered the detention of the drivers, driving assistants four other officials involved in the Friday Sohag train collision.

A train heading to Cairo from Aswan rear-ended a passenger train that had stopped at Tahta in Sohag causing three coaches to derail. According to the public prosecution’s statement, 18 people were killed and 200 others including children were injured.

Dozens of equipped ambulances were dispatched to transport the injured people to Sohag General Hospital, Sohag Educational Hospital, Tahta Hospital and Maragha Hospital.

Scattered body parts were found in the scene of the accident.

Prosecutors listened to the testimony of 133 survivors, many of them at hospitals in Sohag and Assiut. Prosecutors also listened to ten officials at the National Railway Authority and three policemen who were assigned to secure the two trains, beside other workers.

To study what occurred the public prosecutors conducted two simulations of the accident where they activated brake device and automatic controls, examining the effectiveness of the brakes and checking whether the lightning signals could be seen clearly at the time of the accident.

Prosecutors listened to recorded wireless talks between the driver of the train and the central control room in Assiut, and workers of the monitoring towers in Tahta and Maragha between which the accident occurred.

They also received the results of drug tests conducted on the train drivers, their assistants and the observers assigned to the monitoring towers.

The statement said that the public prosecutors will announce more information about the investigation and the results of the two simulations soon.