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February 28, 2019

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Cairo train crash kills 25

Source: AP | 00:00 UTC+8 February 28, 2019 | Print Edition

A LOCOMOTIVE crashed into a barrier at Cairo鈥檚 main train station at high speed yesterday, causing its fuel tank to explode and triggering a huge fire, leaving at least 25 people dead, officials said.

Railway officials said the single railcar was traveling too fast when it collided head-on with the barrier. At least 47 people were also injured.

The explosion and fire blasted through people on the platform in the busy Ramses Station in downtown Cairo. A surveillance video showed the moment of impact when the car barreled past men and women walking by who are then engulfed in flames and smoke. Charred bodies lay on the platform and a man in flames ran down a staircase in panic, according to photos and videos on social media.

There was no immediate word on whether the crash was the result of a terrorist act.

Ashraf Momtaz, a general railway inspector, said that there were several scenarios for what happened and one was that someone could have set the rail car on high speed, then jumped.

It was not clear if the locomotive had a driver at the time of the crash, Momtaz said.

鈥淭he railcar takes time to (gather) speed so there is a chance that someone set it on full speed before leaving,鈥 he said, adding that investigators are considering all scenarios.

In general, he said, the accident signals 鈥渘egligence from the driver and supervisors.鈥

The Ramses district is among the busiest and most crowded areas of the Egyptian capital. The state railway agency briefly halted all train traffic and ordered the evacuation of the station.

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