Two Defendants Referred To Court For Role In Assiut Train-Bus Crash

Prosecutor-General Talaat Abdullah on Monday referred two men to court for their role in the Assiut train-bus collision that killed 49 children in November.

The defendants are the person responsible for the railway crossing barrier and the supervisor at Hawatkah station where the accident took place in the village of Manfalout in Assiut Governorate.

A train collided with a bus carrying around 70 students aged between four and seven, killing 53 people including 49 children.

The prosecutor-general’s spokesperson, Hassan Yassin, said the two men were accused of the unintentionally murdering and injuring the children, causing serious financial harm to the employer, unintentionally causing an accident on public transportation and damaging property.

The prosecutor-general requested an immediate court hearing and for its proceedings to be referred to the administrative prosecution, which will look into the possibility of launching appropriate disciplinary action, if any, against high-ranking officials at the Egyptian Railway Authority.

Investigations had not revealed direct wrongdoing by the authority’s officials, Yassin said.

The prosecution’s investigation showed the negligence of the two defendants and the bus driver, who died in the accident, was the main cause of the disaster, he added.

The prosecutor-general’s technical office, the Cairo appellate prosecution and the prosecution offices of both Northern and Southern Assiut started an investigation after the accident took place in November 2012.

Ahram