Train crash in southern Egypt kills at least 32, injures 165
Cairo, Mar 27: Two trains crashed Friday in southern Egypt, killing at least 32 people and injuring 165, authorities said in the latest of a series of deadly accidents on the country's troubled railways.
Someone apparently activated the emergency brakes on the passenger train, and it was rear-ended by another train, causing two cars to derail and flip on their side, Egypt's Railway Authorities said, although Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouly later added that no cause has been determined.
The passenger train was headed to the Mediterranean port of Alexandria, north of Cairo, rail officials said.
Video showed twisted piles of metal with passengers covered with dust trapped inside some bleeding and others unconscious. Bystanders removed the dead and laid them on the ground nearby.
One passenger was heard shouting on the video, Help us! People are dying! A female passenger appeared to be upside down, squeezed under the seats, and was crying, Get me out, boy!
More than 100 ambulances were sent to the scene in the province of Sohag, about 440 kilometers (270 miles) south of Cairo, Health Minister Hala Zayed said, and the injured were taken to four hospitals. Injuries included broken bones, cuts and bruises.
Two planes carrying a total of 52 doctors, mostly surgeons, were sent to Sohag, she added at a news conference in the province, accompanied by Madbouly, who added that a military plane would bring those needing special surgery to Cairo.
Chief Prosecutor Hamada el-Sawy was on the scene to investigate the crash, he said.
The (railway) service has been neglected for decades to an extent that made it quite outdated and extremely dangerous, Madbouly told reporters. We have spent billions to upgrade the railway but we still have a long way to go in order to complete all the required work.
The government will pay the equivalent of 6,400 in compensation to each family that had a relative killed, Madbouly said, while the injured will get between 1,280 to 2,560, depending on how badly they were hurt.
President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi said he was monitoring the situation and that those responsible would receive a deterrent punishment.
The pain that tears our hearts today cannot but make us more determined to end this type of disasters, he wrote on his Facebook page.
Egypt's rail system has a history of badly maintained equipment and mismanagement, and official figures said there were 1,793 train accidents in 2017.
In 2018, a passenger train derailed near the southern city of Aswan, injuring at least six people and prompting authorities to fire the chief of the country's railways.
The same year, el-Sissi said the government needed about 250 billion Egyptian pounds ( 14.1 billion) to overhaul the rail system. Those remarks came a day after a passenger train collided with a cargo train, killing at least 12 people.
A year earlier, two passenger trains collided just outside Alexandria, killing 43. In 2016, at least 51 people were killed when two commuter trains collided near Cairo.
Egypt's deadliest train crash was in 2002, when over 300 people were killed after fire broke out in a train traveling from Cairo to southern Egypt.
#VIDEO: More than 30 people killed, 91 others injured after trains collide in #Egypt. (from @EgyptTodayMag) pic.twitter.com/EPcW9PRwXH
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TVK chief Vijay makes string of promises for women, gold for marriage, monthly aid of Rs 2,500
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Chennai (PTI): TVK chief Vijay on Saturday announced a slew of promises for women, including a monthly financial aid of Rs 2,500, a sovereign gold with silk saree as wedding gift to young women, and six LPG cylinders free for all families, if his party was voted to power in the upcoming state assembly election.
The monthly assistance would be provided to all women except government employees, upto the age of 60, when his Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam comes to power, Vijay said at the International Women's Day event held under the aegis of TVK at Mamallapuram near here.
The six LPG cylinders would be provided annually under the 'Annapurani super six scheme'.
In order to ensure zero dropout in schools, each mother or guardian would be provided an annual financial assistance of Rs 15,000 under the 'Kamarajar Kalvi Uruthi Thittam'.
Ensuring safety for women in public transport, Vijay in his 20 minute speech, said smart panic buttons would be established in buses.
To serve girl students, he said free sanitary pads would be provided through ration shops, schools and in colleges.
Vijay also announced interest-free allocation of upto Rs 5 lakh for women Self-Help Groups.
The actor-politician assured that every new born child born in Tamil Nadu would receive a gold ring and a baby welcome kit, comprising baby powder, baby oil, diapers, as the state government's 'Ashirwad' (blessing).
He announced free bus travel in all state government-run buses for women, zero tolerance for crimes against women, dedication of 'Rani Velu Nachiyar' unit in police to ensure safety for women, and special fast-track courts for expeditious disposal of cases of crimes against women.
Vijay also hit out at the ruling DMK, alleging that a "30 per cent Stalin sir tax of loot and corruption was taking place out of the state's Rs 4.39 lakh crore budget".
These poll assurances can be implemented by a 'graft-free super-good regime", he added.
Earlier, he honoured football coach Thamimunissa Jabbar, biker Maya, Ashwetha a first-generation graduate and Harvard Kennedy School alumna from Tamil Nadu, organic farmer Archana Stalin, Grace Banu, software engineer and Dalit transgender activist, ISRO scientist Kalpana, and CEO Ilavarasi, at the event.
He greeted the women invited to the stage at the Women's Day event organised by the TVK.
Later, he also posed for a group picture with the awardees.
