Two trains hit the trunk of a palm tree lying across the tracks in Qusiya and Sanbo, Aswan at midnight last night. As a result, Upper Egypt railway traffic was delayed for two hours. The official spokesman for the National Railway, Engineer Mohamed Hegazy, said, “Trains 997 and 988, which were heading Cairo from Aswan, hit the trunk of a palm tree while passing near Qusiya and Sanbo. Nine trains on the same railway line were delayed for 45 minutes after their arrival and departure timetables.” Hegazy added, “Train 997's front-end protection net was broken and fell, its back protection net is damaged, its petrol tank has been broken, petrol leaked and its breaks were damaged as a result of hitting the palm tree.” He said the train was delayed from midnight last night to 2:10am this morning. Train 988 was passing train 997 when it hit remains of the palm tree, Hegazy said, adding that the train broke into two parts. “The first [part] contains the front-end power vehicle and the second contains 12 air-conditioned vehicles and the back power vehicle. The front end power vehicle petrol tank was clipped and three air-conditioned vehicles' electrical cables were damaged,” Hegazy said. Train 988 was delayed for two and a half hours, from 12:30-3:00am. The technicians who were in the trains transferred them to the nearest station. It was discovered that someone had deliberately put the palm tree on the railway to delay trains.
