Toukh train accident

Toukh train accident
Details
Date	18 April 2021
Location	Toukh, Qalyubiyya Governorate
Country	Egypt
Statistics
Deaths	23
Injured	139

On 18 April 2021, a train derailed in the city of Toukh in Qalyubiyya Governorate, Egypt.[1] The accident left 23 people dead and another 139 injured,[2] trapping several under overturned carriages.[3] It was the third major train accident in Egypt recorded in less than a month. Considering the commonality of train wrecks and mishaps in Egypt, prosecutors blamed the negligence of railway employees and the country’s mismanagement.[4]

Investigation

Preliminary investigations attributed the incident to the increased speed of the Toukh train, which was travelling at 120 km/h on a stretch not designed for speeds exceeding 30 km/h.[5] The train's driver, the driver's assistant, and all of the workers of the signs and towers in the area where the crash took place, were taken into custody as part of the investigation.[6]

Response

President Abdel Fattah Sisi commissioned Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly to form a committee, to be made up of members of the Administrative Control Authority, the Armed Forces Engineering Authority, and the Military Technical College, to determine the cause of the accident.[7] The transport minister, Kamel Al -Wazir, visited the site of the crash, and declared that those responsible would be held to account.[8] The Ministry of Health redirected 58 ambulances to the scene to transport the injured.[9] Ashraf Raslan, head of the Egyptian railway authority, was fired in the aftermath of the incident.[10][11]

See also

• Sohag train collision, another train crash which took place in Egypt three weeks earlier
• List of rail accidents in Egypt

References

1. "At least 11 killed, 98 injured in Egypt as train derails". CNN. 18 April 2021. Archived from the original on 19 April 2021. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
2. "Egypt: 11 dead, 98 injured after train derails near Cairo". Reuters. 20 April 2021. Archived from the original on 15 June 2021. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
3. "Eleven dead, 98 injured after train derails in Egypt". Reuters. 18 April 2021. Archived from the original on 18 April 2021. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
4. "Egypt: At Least 11 Killed, About 100 Injured in Train Crash North of Cairo". Voice of America. Archived from the original on 18 April 2021. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
5. القاهرة, اليوم- (2021-04-18). "قطار طوخ.. التحقيقات الأولية تكشف سبب الحادث وسر"صوت الانفجار "". alyaum (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 2021-04-18. Retrieved 2021-05-20.
6. "السلطات المصرية تحقق مع طاقم قطار طوخ وعمال الإشارات". سكاي نيوز عربية (in Arabic). Retrieved 2021-05-20.
7. "السيسي يكلف الحكومة بالتحقيق في أسباب حادث قطار طوخ". سكاي نيوز عربية (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 2021-04-18. Retrieved 2021-05-20.
8. "وزير النقل المصري يتعهد بمحاسبة المتسببين في حادث قطار طوخ". سكاي نيوز عربية (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 2021-04-18. Retrieved 2021-05-20.
9. "الصحة: إصابة 97 مواطنًا في حادث قطار طوخ - بوابة الأهرام". 2021-04-18. Archived from the original on 2021-04-18. Retrieved 2021-05-20.
10. "Egypt Fires Top Railway Official after Deadly Train Crashes | Voice of America - English". www.voanews.com. Archived from the original on 2021-05-21. Retrieved 2021-05-21.
11. "Egypt's Railways Chief Fired In Wake of Fatal Train Accident". The Media Line. 2021-04-21. Archived from the original on 2021-05-21. Retrieved 2021-05-21.