Egypt sacks railway authority chief after deadly train accidents

CGTN

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FILE PHOTO: People gather around the wreckage of two trains that collided in the Tahta district of Sohag province, some 460 kms (285 miles) south of the Egyptian capital Cairo. /Getty Images

Egypt's Minister of Transportation Kamel al-Wazir dismissed on Tuesday the chairman of the state-run National Railways Authority (NRA) after a string of deadly train crashes.

The minister also issued a number of decisions to reshuffle the other 9 top officials of the NRA, two days after the latest accident left 11 people killed, and almost 100 wounded.

"The goal of these decisions is not merely about leadership changes of the authority, but to meet the demands of the upcoming phase which requires new competencies to continue upgrading the railway network," the minister said.

"The ongoing changes aim to provide better services for commuters and to upgrade this essential sector which transports millions of passengers annually," added the statement.

Egyptian rail accidents are mostly blamed on poor infrastructure, maintenance, human errors, and negligence.

On Sunday, 11 people were killed following a derailment of a train near Cairo. On March 26, at least 20 people died and nearly 200 were wounded in the two-train crash in southern Egypt.

The deadliest train accident in Egypt took place in 2003, leaving more than 300 killed.

Source(s): Xinhua News Agency