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Thursday, 28 February 2019

Train crash dominates coverage on the airwaves

Yesterday’s tragic train crash was the only thing on the minds of the talking heads, with some calling for blood and others commenting on the state’s response to the accident. The official death count currently stands at 20 people, while there were around 43 injured, Health Ministry spokesperson Khaled Megahed told Channel 1 News (watch, runtime: 3:24). We have more details on the accident in this morning’s Speed Round, below.

Conductors fighting appears to be the cause: The consensus among commentators and talking heads is that a fight between two train conductors led to the accident. Al Hayah Al Youm’s Khaled Abu Bakr screened a surveillance video of the fight (watch, runtime: 08:14). Cabinet Spokesman Nadder Saad phoned in to say that the first thing the donductors learn is never to leave the train while moving, adding that they clearly disregarded the protocol. Abu Bakr said all current conductors have to be reevaluated (watch, runtime: 02:36). Yahduth fi Masr’s Sherif Amer, who was at Ramsis station (watch, runtime: 02:55), explained that at 09:33 am, the train was moving without a driver at speed 60 km/hour (watch, runtime: 03:50).

The state was spared grandstanding by the talking heads, unlike in the case of past rail disasters. Masaa DMC’s Amr Khalil went so far as to say that a 20-year-old train is not new. He instead held the drivers and their negligence as the sole individuals responsible (watch, runtime: 06:23).

Social Solidarity Minister Ghada Waly told Abu Bakr that her ministry is providing support to the families of the dead and of the injured (watch, runtime: 07:58).

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