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Al-Ahram Weekly 29 July - 4 August 1999 Issue No. 440 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 29 July - 4 August 1999 Issue No. 440
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Profile Travel Living Sports Time Out Chronicles People Cartoons Letters The carnage must end
By Jailan HalawiOn the Minya highway last week, terror and chaos were unleashed when two buses were hit by a trailer truck near Beni Suef. The accident claimed the lives of 31 young people and seriously injured a dozen more.
In the accident, which occurred on Friday night, a speeding trailer truck came apart on the road, crushing one bus and smashing into the second. The 50 young men and women on board the buses were on their way back to Cairo after a church trip to the Monastery of the Virgin Mary in the Samallout region, 230km south of the capital.
The victims of the tragedy were all members of the congregation of the Coptic Church of Mar Girgis (Saint George) in Heliopolis. They had travelled south on Thursday night. Arriving at the monastery at dawn on Friday, the group prayed, performed a play and a concert, then left.
As the buses headed home, they crossed a large truck speeding in the opposite direction. The trailer came loose from the truck at that instant, and crushed the first bus, splitting it in half. The carriage then hit the second bus, knocking it onto the sand bank at the side of the road.
The prosecution has ordered the truck driver to be remanded in custody for 45 days pending an investigation.
The victims make their way home by road in coffins
photos: Adel AnisThe country's expanding highway network is rapidly turning into a death trap. This is especially so in Upper Egypt, where last week alone, three other major accidents clamed 39 lives. The most recent tragedy once again highlighted the dangers of driving on Upper Egypt's highways, which are used by thousands of vehicles daily.
A study conducted earlier this year at Qasr Al-Aini Hospital listed four of the main reasons for road accidents: driving under the influence of alcohol; speeding; poor road planning and the absence of signs and poor lighting on highways; and the inadequacy of emergency services on highways.
Many officials admit that Egypt's highways do not meet international standards in spite of government efforts to widen, pave and light main roads, and despite a recent decision to ban large transport vehicles from travelling between dawn and dusk.
In 1998 alone, 5,000 people were killed and 22,000 injured in 23,000 road accidents. These figures represent slight increases over previous years. In 1994, 21,000 accidents killed 4,920 people and wounded 20,000.
In 1998, accidents in Egypt accounted for 23.5 per cent of all hospital fatalities and 28 per cent of children's deaths in hospitals. Losses caused by traffic accidents in Egypt, including damaged vehicles, cost of health care, stay in hospital, and lost working hours, are estimated at LE1 billion yearly. Road accidents are the second most frequent cause of death in Third World countries.
The government has responded firmly by issuing new regulations, approved on 16 February by Prime Minister Kamal El-Ganzouri. The regulations include the following: drivers of government vehicles will have to pay traffic fines out of their own pockets; trucks will be banned on all roads from dawn to dusk; all drivers must have annual medical examinations in addition to "surprise" check-ups to ensure that they are in good health; and checkpoints will be set up at 30km intervals on all highways. Tourism companies have also been ordered to provide detailed bus schedules as well as copies of their regulations and information on their financial incentive systems for drivers.
The most recent accident, however, has unleashed a torrent of outrage. The public is demanding to know how much longer innocent people will have to pay for administrative negligence and the failure of government bodies to implement traffic regulations on the highways.
- Editorial
Everyday tragedies
