TRANSPORT-EGYPT: Deadly Fire Reveals Safety Gaps

By Cam McGrath Reprint | | Print |

Cam McGrath

CAIRO, Feb 21 2002 (IPS) - At least 373 people were killed when fire swept through a train packed with Egyptians heading home to celebrate a Muslim holiday in one of the worst train disasters in history.

The fire started around 1 a.m. local time on Wednesday on an overcrowded third-class train heading from Cairo to the southern Egyptian city of Luxor, 700 kilometres away. It spread quickly as strong winds fanned the flames and carried them towards the rear of the speeding train, engulfing car after car as the train rolled on for several kilometres, its driver unaware of the conflagration.

Many of the victims were burned alive when barred windows and jammed doors prevented them from escaping the raging fire. At least 44 passengers died when they jumped from the speeding inferno, their bodies found littering the tracks near the village of Al-Ayyat, 75 kilometres south of Cairo, where the train came to a halt some 12 minutes after the driver realised it was on fire.

Inspecting the scene of the disaster, Prime Minister Atef Ebeid attempted to clear his government of any responsibility.

“All trains are in good shape and at the highest degree of efficiency and they are reviewed completely and regularly,” he said, stressing that the train had no known mechanical problem.

Early reports indicated that the devastating fire began when a butane gas cylinder exploded in the train’s dining car. However, third-class Egyptian trains do not have dining cars, and Ebeid suggested instead that a passenger may have started the blaze while trying to light a portable gas stove. Although illegal, passengers often bring small stoves onto Egyptian trains to make tea or heat food during long journeys.

Investigators have not ruled out other causes. They said they would continue to investigate into whether a short circuit or discarded cigarette may have caused the fire.

With the death toll at 373 and expected to climb, Egyptian Railway Authority (ERA) officials described the accident as the worst rail disaster since the Authority was founded 150 years ago.

“There has not been anything like this in the recent or even distant past,” ERA director Ahmed el-Sherif told reporters. “I’ve worked for the railway for 32 years and never saw or heard of any event this size.”

He insisted that the train was equipped with emergency brakes and fire extinguishers, a claim that many passengers who survived the blaze denied.

Rescue workers described the train as a “burning prison,” finding corpses curled up under the seats where they sought refuge from the flames and thick black smoke. Others were found lodged between the bars on windows through which they tried to escape, their bodies charred beyond recognition. All victims are believed to be Egyptians.

The carriages were packed with families heading home for Eid al- Adha, a four-day Muslim holiday that begins Friday and is the traditional start of the pilgrimage to Mecca.

The train had a capacity of 1,500 people, but it is estimated that 3,000 were aboard at the time of the blaze. Such overcrowding is common on third-class trains, where seats are often removed to make more room for passengers, baggage and even livestock.

“Everybody was packed virtually on top of each other. There were some on the floor, some seated, and some standing,” according to Sami Zoheir Hanna, a 36-year-old watchmaker. He said the power was cut just moments before fire entered his carriage.

“It was like in a dark well, full of smoke, our panic building as the train continued to move. People began to run in all directions to pound on the windows, but they could not get through because of the bars,” he said, adding that he was able to escape by leaping out of a door.

An estimated 5,000 people die each year in Egyptian railway accidents, including those killed in collisions at level railroad crossings or falling off moving trains. Many of the accidents are a result of mechanical faults a nd negligence.

In 1998, 47 were killed and 104 people injured when a train flew off the rails and crashed through a barricade in Kafr el-Dawar town, 30 kilometres southeast of Alexandria.

Investigations indicated that one of the train’s many non- paying passengers riding in the space between the carriages may have disrupted a brake linkage and caused it to fail.

ERA officials have repeatedly complained that old equipment and under-funding have compromised the safety of Egypt’s 1,300 daily trains. While foreign tourists travel on special air-conditioned trains, most poor Egyptians cannot afford them and are obliged to travel in slow- moving third-class trains with dilapidated carriages and questionable safety features.

The doors, lights and emergency brakes on these trains often fail to operate, and they are crowded far beyond their intended capacity. Passengers further compromise safety by using portable stoves or kerosene lanterns while on board, despite regulations forbidding them.

The Egyptian government has stopped short of claiming any responsibility for the disaster, but Minister of Social Affairs Amina el-Guindi reportedly said the government would offer emergency assistance.

The offer, and a heavy police presence, were widely seen as moves aimed at preventing a violent public backlash to the disaster. But compensation without improving safety will do little to prevent further rail tragedies.