This article is from the source 'nytimes' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/27/world/middleeast/cairo-fire-train-station-egypt.html
The article has changed 9 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 4 | Version 5 |
|---|---|
| At Least 20 Killed in Fiery Crash at Cairo Train Station | |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| CAIRO — A speeding train barreled into Cairo’s main railway station on Wednesday, crashing into a platform and setting off a fireball that swept through the crowded station, leaving least 20 people dead and dozens more injured, officials said. | |
| Surveillance footage from the station that circulated on social media, showing the crash and graphic images of passengers engulfed in flames, fanned public outrage at the latest disaster on Egypt’s dilapidated and accident-prone rail network. | Surveillance footage from the station that circulated on social media, showing the crash and graphic images of passengers engulfed in flames, fanned public outrage at the latest disaster on Egypt’s dilapidated and accident-prone rail network. |
| Hours later, Egypt’s transport minister, Hisham Arafat, resigned. The crash will renew scrutiny of the priorities of President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, who has promoted sweeping national projects but failed to halt a slide in public services like health, education and transportation. | Hours later, Egypt’s transport minister, Hisham Arafat, resigned. The crash will renew scrutiny of the priorities of President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, who has promoted sweeping national projects but failed to halt a slide in public services like health, education and transportation. |
| Footage from one surveillance camera at Cairo’s Ramses station showed a locomotive hurtling past a busy platform, ramming a barrier and setting off an explosion that engulfed the station in flames and smoke. | Footage from one surveillance camera at Cairo’s Ramses station showed a locomotive hurtling past a busy platform, ramming a barrier and setting off an explosion that engulfed the station in flames and smoke. |
| Footage from another angle showed a wall of fire sweeping through the station, causing passengers to flee. A man covered in flames tumbles down steps as he runs frantically for help. Other passengers douse him with water in an attempt to extinguish the blaze. | Footage from another angle showed a wall of fire sweeping through the station, causing passengers to flee. A man covered in flames tumbles down steps as he runs frantically for help. Other passengers douse him with water in an attempt to extinguish the blaze. |
| The footage could not be independently confirmed, but a kiosk owner on an adjacent platform said it was consistent with what he had witnessed in the aftermath of the crash. | The footage could not be independently confirmed, but a kiosk owner on an adjacent platform said it was consistent with what he had witnessed in the aftermath of the crash. |
| One woman begged him to kill her, the man added, because her entire body was burned. | One woman begged him to kill her, the man added, because her entire body was burned. |
| The blaze, which consumed nearby buildings and sent clouds of black smoke billowing across central Cairo, lasted about an hour, another witness said. Later, photos of charred bodies, some strewn on the tracks, circulated on social media. | The blaze, which consumed nearby buildings and sent clouds of black smoke billowing across central Cairo, lasted about an hour, another witness said. Later, photos of charred bodies, some strewn on the tracks, circulated on social media. |
| Both men declined to give their names, citing the heavy police presence in the station. State media reported that at least 25 people were killed in the crash and 50 others were injured. | |
| But in a later news conference, Hala Zayed, the Egyptian health minister, put the figure at 20 dead, and offered no explanation for the discrepancy. | |
| Egypt’s prosecutor general, Nabil Sadek, ordered an investigation. Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly visited the station, promising a tough response. | Egypt’s prosecutor general, Nabil Sadek, ordered an investigation. Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly visited the station, promising a tough response. |
| “Any person found to be negligent will be held accountable, and it will be severe,” he said. | “Any person found to be negligent will be held accountable, and it will be severe,” he said. |
| The cause of the crash was not immediately clear. The train did not appear to be pulling any passenger cars. It came to rest with one end propped onto the raised passenger platform. Some reports said that its fuel tank had exploded in the crash. | The cause of the crash was not immediately clear. The train did not appear to be pulling any passenger cars. It came to rest with one end propped onto the raised passenger platform. Some reports said that its fuel tank had exploded in the crash. |
| Mr. el-Sisi, whose parliamentary supporters are campaigning to extend his rule until at least 2034, has based his hard-line rule on a promise of security and stability, deploying soldiers to Sinai to fight Islamic State militants. | Mr. el-Sisi, whose parliamentary supporters are campaigning to extend his rule until at least 2034, has based his hard-line rule on a promise of security and stability, deploying soldiers to Sinai to fight Islamic State militants. |
| But the strongman ruler has failed to halt a slide in safety in Egypt’s bedraggled railway network, which reported 1,793 accidents in 2017, the highest number in at least 15 years. | But the strongman ruler has failed to halt a slide in safety in Egypt’s bedraggled railway network, which reported 1,793 accidents in 2017, the highest number in at least 15 years. |
| In August 2017, at least 41 people were killed and nearly 180 injured in the collision of two trains near the port city of Alexandria. | In August 2017, at least 41 people were killed and nearly 180 injured in the collision of two trains near the port city of Alexandria. |
| In 2012, a train slammed into a school bus at a crossing 190 miles south of Cairo, killing at least 50 people, most of them children. The authorities blamed a signal operator who had fallen asleep at his post. | In 2012, a train slammed into a school bus at a crossing 190 miles south of Cairo, killing at least 50 people, most of them children. The authorities blamed a signal operator who had fallen asleep at his post. |
| The government statistics agency reported 10,965 railroad accidents between 2008 and 2017. | The government statistics agency reported 10,965 railroad accidents between 2008 and 2017. |
| The abundance of accidents stands in stark contrast to the efficient, modernizing image of Egypt projected by Mr. el-Sisi, whose military is building a sprawling, Dubai-style administrative capital in the desert east of Cairo. | The abundance of accidents stands in stark contrast to the efficient, modernizing image of Egypt projected by Mr. el-Sisi, whose military is building a sprawling, Dubai-style administrative capital in the desert east of Cairo. |
| This past weekend, Mr. el-Sisi basked in the limelight as he welcomed European leaders to the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh for the inaugural summit meeting of the European Union and the Arab League. But he bridled at criticisms of his country’s dire human rights record. | This past weekend, Mr. el-Sisi basked in the limelight as he welcomed European leaders to the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh for the inaugural summit meeting of the European Union and the Arab League. But he bridled at criticisms of his country’s dire human rights record. |
| The surveillance footage of the crash was a mark of the large number of cameras at the station and across Cairo, as part of Mr. el-Sisi’s security focus. Less funding is available for infrastructure. | The surveillance footage of the crash was a mark of the large number of cameras at the station and across Cairo, as part of Mr. el-Sisi’s security focus. Less funding is available for infrastructure. |
| In 2017, Mr. el-Sisi estimated that it would cost at least $570 million to make substantial improvements to Egypt’s railway network. But the country lacked the resources to make all the necessary changes, he admitted. | In 2017, Mr. el-Sisi estimated that it would cost at least $570 million to make substantial improvements to Egypt’s railway network. But the country lacked the resources to make all the necessary changes, he admitted. |
| By early Wednesday afternoon, Ramses station had reopened and train service had resumed on platforms not affected by the fire. The government announced that it would pay about $4,500 each to the families of those killed, and about $1,125 to each of the injured. | By early Wednesday afternoon, Ramses station had reopened and train service had resumed on platforms not affected by the fire. The government announced that it would pay about $4,500 each to the families of those killed, and about $1,125 to each of the injured. |