Egyptian prosecutors have demanded that two railway employees be detained over alleged failures to monitor signals before a deadly train crash south of Cairo on Sunday.
Investigators found that the driver of one of the trains, who died in the crash, had disabled its automatic control system, according to a statement from prosecutors.
Additionally, one of the detained employees, a station controller, allegedly altered the signalling log to conceal his failure to perform his duties.
The findings, announced on Monday evening, offer the first substantial account by investigators of how a train travelling from Giza to Fayoum struck the rear of a stationary Cairo–Aswan train, with several carriages being derailed. Seven people were killed and more than 120 injured.
Scenes from the crash have stirred horror and anger among Egyptians, and renewed fears over railway safety and demands for accountability.
Prosecutors have ordered a wider review of railway operations and whether years of safety upgrades have actually helped to prevent accidents and deaths.
Technical examinations of equipment on the trains and at the station established that the driver of the Giza-Fayoum train had disabled its automatic control system, prosecutors said. The statement did not explain why he might have done this.
Failure to monitor control panel
Several injured passengers told investigators that the train had been travelling fast from the time it left El Ayyat station until the impact.
The controller and stationmaster at Al Riqqa station acknowledged during questioning that they had failed to monitor the control panel showing the status of a light signal, prosecutors said.
Both station employees were remanded in custody pending further investigation. The driver's assistant is also being held for questioning.
Prosecutor General Mohamed Shawky ordered a committee of Cairo University engineering professors to examine equipment, staff oversight, signalling and monitoring arrangements across the railway authority.
Its remit includes assessing the effectiveness of development work intended to prevent crashes.
The committee will review previous accident files for recurring causes and identify anyone whose negligence contributed to Sunday’s disaster, “whatever their position”, prosecutors said. That extends the inquiry beyond the conduct of the train crew and station employees.
The crash has renewed scrutiny of a railway network repeatedly hit by deadly accidents and of whether accountability will extend beyond frontline employees.
Investigators have questioned the railway authority’s chairman and senior officials responsible for infrastructure, maintenance, operations, safety and signalling. The head of signalling and communications corroborated the two station employees’ failure to monitor the control panel, prosecutors said.
The findings come amid mounting demands for Transport Minister Kamel El Wazir to resign, including from politicians within the pro-government coalition. Critics have questioned whether spending on major transport projects has been matched by improvements in passenger safety.
Mr El Wazir apologised to injured passengers and their families during a visit to Al Wasta Central Hospital in Beni Suef on Monday evening. He pledged that anyone found responsible or negligent would “not escape punishment”.
