CAIRO: Egyptian newspaper “Youm El Saba'a” has updated the incident of a train derailing at Alexandria's main train depot on Thursday, saying that two workers and a nearby vendor were injured in the crash, but nobody was killed as the cars that were smashed were empty at the time. According to the local newspaper, the brakes gave way during the short 10 minute journey from the city's second train deport, Sidi Gaber. It confirmed that the train was empty, as it was most likely traveling to the main station in order to pick up passengers and head to a destination outside the city. A passenger train on Thursday smashed into Egypt's second largest city's main train station, Mahatet Masr, eyewitnesses said. Blogger Andrew Heiss, wrote on his blog AndrewHeiss.com that the first three cars in the train were nearly completing destroyed from the impact. “Immediately after we got off the train we saw the reason for the delay. A train had rammed into the station, apparently at full speed, derailing the first three cars—the engine, the generator, and the first actual cabin. Part of the station itself was damaged, as was, ironically enough, a parked fire truck,†he wrote on his site. Heiss also posted photos of the incident. Initial claims from sparse information on Thursday said that hundreds could have been killed. Heiss reported on Thursday evening that he did not hear of any deaths and the number of injured was unclear. He reported that the train had crashed, not in the evening as initially reported, but early in the morning and crews were already clearing the debris when he arrived at around 12:30 in the early afternoon. “By 6:00 PM, when we arrived back at the station to return to Cairo, the repairmen were working on lifting the engine and had apparently already extricated the generator car,†he wrote. Last year, Egypt’s train conductors went on a number of demonstrations. During these protests, a number of conductors were heard chanting about the poor conditions of the country’s railways and trains themselves. Unfortunately on Thursday their fears were realized. For pictures on the crash, please click here BM
