Four people died when a train collided with a taxi in Ard al-Lewa crossing, Giza Governor Ali Abdel Rahman said Wednesday. Among the victims were a woman and a child, according to state news agency MENA.
Hussein Zakaria, president of the National Railways Authority, said the taxi had passed through the crossing despite warning lights signaling that the train was driving through.
Earlier reports had put the number of deaths in the collision at three. The train driver fled from the scene, reportedly fearing residents of the area would assault him.
Police are investigating the incident, while the victims’ bodies were sent to the morgue.
This is the second deadly train wreck in three days. A train crash in Badrashin Monday claimed the lives of 19 people, while 117 were injured, with dozens still in critical condition.
The accident also comes less than two months after the Assiut tragedy, in which a train crashed into a school bus crossing the tracks near Manfalut in Assiut Governorate. Fifty-one children died, most of them from Mandara village near the city of Manfalut.
Driven by the repeated disasters, lawyer Samir Sabry filed a lawsuit Wednesday with the State Council against President Mohamed Morsy, requesting him to stop the railway service until it is improved and trains are repaired, and to provide alternative transportation until the job is completed.
“Trains continue to claim the lives of innocent people out of neglect, corruption and mismanagement,” Sabry said Wednesday.
Official estimates put the numbers of train wrecks at an average of 550 per year. The years 2008, 2009 and 2010 had 500, 623, and 550 accidents respectively, Al-Masry Al-Youm reported, citing official annual reports.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
