The head of Al-Warraq court Mohamed El-Halawani postponed on Saturday the first session of the Al-Warraq boat trial to 5 December. The court decision came after one of the defendants' lawyer requested to postpone the session to hear his defendants. The prosecution arrested the barge driver, the Al-Warraq boat driver, and his assistant on charges of negligence leading to the sinking of the boat. In July, the boat collided with a barge off Al-Warraq Island in the Nile River in Giza, leaving 15 dead and five injured initially. However, the death toll rose to 38 in the following days. Following the accident, then-prime minister Ibrahim Mehleb issued a series of decisions, including the temporary halt of any activity by barges in Cairo from sunset to sunrise until further notice. Mehleb also allocated EGP 60,000 for the family each victim killed and EGP 10,000 for the injured. Located in the Nile River near Giza, Al-Warraq Island residents use ferries to cross to the mainland every day. The ferries are run down and usually take many more people than their capacity.
