21 - 27 February 2002
Issue No.574
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Al-Ahram Weekly Online 21 - 27 February 2002 Issue No.574 |
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Travelling inferno
At least 400 people died yesterday in Egypt's deadliest ever train disaster
Hundreds boarded Aswan-bound train 832 at midnight on Tuesday, happily anticipating the Eid Al-Adha celebrations in their native villages. Two hours later, their plans went up in smoke. One of the last of the train's 11 carriages caught fire; the driver, unaware, did not stop, and the wind fanned the first flickering flames into a conflagration. Several other carriages caught fire as the train, ablaze, sped on for seven kilometres. Panicking, some passengers attempted to leap out, but metal bars on the windows trapped them inside the moving inferno. Others tried to run, trampling and tripping each other. Finally, the driver stopped near Al-Ayyat, about 50km south of Cairo; quickly realising he would be unable to carry out a rescue operation single-handed, he disengaged the burning carriages before the flames could reach the rest of the train, and drove on to the next station.
BLAZE ON THE RAILS: Rescue workers explored the charred carriages of the Aswan-bound train that burst into flames Wednesday morning as families rushed to the scene of the disaster, fearing the worst for loved ones travelling home for the feast
Although the driver's presence of mind saved hundreds of potential victims, seven carriages were reduced to cinders. At least 400 people have died, and over 60 sustained severe injuries.
The death toll kept rising, and when Al-Ahram Weekly went to print more bodies were being found in the charred carriages and on the tracks, where many had finally managed to throw themselves from the windows. Many of the bodies were burnt beyond recognition. Witnesses said ashes filled the blackened cars. Bodies were piled at the far ends of two carriages, where the victims had sought to escape the blaze. "The bodies... were piled behind doors, some with a charred hand holding the door handle trying to escape," a rescue worker told AFP.
Said Fouad Amin, a 22-year-old construction worker, who told the Associated Press that he jumped from the train, was receiving treatment for a broken hand and a suspected concussion in Al-Ayyat Hospital. He said the train was so full that he and six friends, unable to get seats, were sitting on the floor. He heard shouts and screams, followed by the sight of flames and people running. Amin ran too, until he found a window broken open. He hesitated at first because the train was moving so fast. "I thought I was going to die anyway, so I jumped," he said from his hospital bed.
Doctors at Al-Ayyat Hospital were sending cases beyond their capabilities to Cairo. According to news agencies, the hospital morgue was full and turned away ambulances carrying the dead. Thirty ambulances and 25 fire trucks from Cairo were dispatched to the scene. Firefighters managed to extinguish the blaze after several hours.
The train was an old model, on which tickets are cheap, and so the majority of passengers were low-income Egyptians. Each carriage, designed to accommodate about 150, was reported to be crammed with about 300, meaning more than 3,000 were aboard.
The Middle East News Agency (MENA) reported that the cause of the fire was a burst gas cylinder used for cooking in the train café. Prime Minister Atef Ebeid, however, told reporters on the site that "preliminary investigations indicate that the fire was started by butane cylinders used by passengers during the journey." He said passengers take them on board because the trip to the southern destination of Aswan takes 12 hours. "There was no problem concerning the train itself or security or fire fighting measures," he insisted. "All vehicles were submitted to security checks by the railroad authorities before the train's departure."
The interior minister announced that the cause of the catastrophe was not yet known. Security sources said it was the deadliest train disaster in Egypt's rail history -- over 150 years. "There has been nothing in the recent or distant past like this," Ahmed El-Sherif, director of the Railway Authority, told reporters.
Soon after news of the accident broke, President Hosni Mubarak expressed his "deep feelings of sorrow" for the victims of the "shocking" accident. He prayed for their souls and their families. Throughout the day, Mubarak closely followed the condition of the injured, the investigations and other developments, ordering immediate care for the injured and rapid, thorough investigations.
Mrs Suzanne Mubarak, head of the Egyptian Red Crescent (ERC), summoned an emergency meeting to assist in relief efforts, dispatching ERC teams to the site to aid the victims and their families.
Social Affairs Minister Amina El-Guindi told MENA that the government would pay LE3,000 in emergency assistance to the families of the dead, and LE1,000 to the injured.
Several countries -- among them Britain, Kuwait, Bahrain and the United States -- offered condolences and expressed sorrow. US Ambassador to Egypt David Welch said: "On behalf of the United States of America, I would like to express our deepest condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in the tragic train fire in Al-Ayyat this morning [Wednesday]. The United States stands ready to help Egypt in any way it can to deal with the tragedy."
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