A vendor jumped to his death from a moving train on Monday following a quarrel with the conductor after he couldn’t afford the ticket price to Cairo. The conductor allegedly forced the vendor Mohamed Eid, 23, to jump out of the train along with his colleague Ahmed Samir, 25, after they told him they had no money.
The conductor reportedly confessed to forcing the victims out of the train during police investigations. However, he pleaded not guilty during Public Prosecution investigations that started on Monday. The conductor of the train 934 (Alexandria to Aswan) was turned in to the police the same day.
The conductor was sentenced four days after the accusation of “intentional killing” was assigned to him by the prosecution on Tuesday, October 29.
Eyewitnesses and preliminary police investigations said that the two victims refused to pay the tickets, so the conductor forced them to jump off the train while it was moving. The second victim, Samir, sustained serious injuries.
After examining Eid’s dead body, forensic investigations showed two major injuries on his arms as well as major injuries on his stomach, back and chest. The report declared that the victim’s head was entirely detached from his body.
Videos of the quarrel between the conductor and the victims as well as videos made by eyewitnesses recounting the incident went viral on social media last night. The first video released showed an old man on his phone reporting the incident to the police and arguing with police officers about it.
Other videos featured more witnesses asserting that they saw the conductor kicking the two boys out of the moving train after the passengers did not pay for the ticket or the fine.
“The conductor told us: you either pay or get out of the train,” the second injured victim Ahmed Samir revealed during the investigations, Cairo24 news outlet reported. The survivor additionally said that he lived the worst moments of his live during the incident, stressing that the conductor’s rude behavior and loud voice terrified both the victims, which was what caused them to jump out of the train.
“We did not have any options except jumping out of the train,” Samir said.
Samir also pointed out that the conductor treated them cruelly, threatening that either they get out of the train, pay the money, or be referred to the police station. He expressed his deep sorrow for the loss of his friend and fellow worker, calling for justice for his friend, according to Cairo24.
In response to the tragic occurrence, the Egyptian Railway Authority issued a statement on Monday, October 28, indicating that “the train’s conductor asked two passengers to pay for their tickets but they refused.”
The statement further stated that while the train’s speed decreased due to some breakdowns in the signal system, the two men jumped out of the train, leading to the death of one of them.
Quoted in the same press release, Egypt’s Minister of Transport Kamel El-Wazir said that he will not permit any carelessness regarding citizens’ rights and voiced his commitment to protecting them.
During a phone interview with Ahmed Moussa on Moussa’s TV program “Ala Massoulity” (By My Responsibility) on Sada El Balad Channel, Wazir pointed out that he will go today, Tuesday, October 29, to offer condolences to the victim’s family in their home.
He vowed that compensation of LE100,000 and employment would be provided to one of Eid’s family members.
“We offer psychological trainings for the workers to learn them to be cooperative with the passengers,” Minister Waziri added, speaking to Moussa.
Likewise, head of parliament’s transportation committee Hesham Abdel-Wahed commented on the horrific incident, saying, “The conductor, who has no mercy in is heart, opened the door of the train which was on the move, letting the two passengers throw themselves out of the train.”
Member of the Egyptian Parliament and former head of the Housing Committee Alaa Wali directed a statement to Minister Wazir and other concerned officials, calling for intense examination of all the workers in the railway sector and an end to the ongoing tragedies.
Tamer Eid, the victim’s brother, told TV Presenter Lamis El Hadidy on her TV program “Al Kahera Alaan” (Cairo Now) on Al Hadath Channel that he really wishes that the conductor had taken Eid to the police station instead of opening the door for him to jump out of the train.
“He opened the door for them to get out of the moving train. How could a human say such a thing to another human? I really cannot understand,” Tamer Eid added.
