Just an hour ago, Egypt’s prosecutor general ordered the detention of six suspects for 4 days pending investigations in the deadly train locomotive crash of Ramses Railways station on Wednesday that killed at least 22 people and injured over 40.
The two train locomotive drivers involved in that fight according to the Prosecutor general’s second statement are among those six suspects.
Unprecedently and interestingly, we found late Wednesday ONTV channel broadcasting an on-air interview exclusively with the crashed locomotive driver who was officially being interrogated by the Prosecution.
I do not recall that this has ever happened before in the media before.
That interview and its timing raised many eyebrows including old Mubarak-era prosecutors and former governors like ex-Governor and former prosecutor Adly Hussein !!
Nevertheless, the interview revealed very interesting information if true.
Suspect and locomotive driver Alaa Fathy said that the locomotive was not to be used in the first place and that he was alone driving it when his assistant should be there.
Despite he said that he was not responsible for the accident, he admitted that he did a mistake for not using the brakes to stop the locomotive.
Fathy was too calm and had that smile on his face that made many feel unease.
On Thursday, the prosecution order his blood to be analyzed to see if he was driving under the influence of some substance.
Living in Giza’s Kerdasa and being poor made many Pro-regime supporters accuse Fathy of being an MB member online madly without any proof except as I said “He lives in Kerdasa”
MP Said Hasansin did not waste any time in those 24 hours and presented a bill to “execute negligent train conductors” !!
Most of the MPs blamed the locomotive driver except the very few MPs of the 25-30 bloc above them MP Ahmed El-Tantawy who slammed both the parliament and the president in a very short statement.
I do not have high hopes in El-Tantawy especially he is a Nasserite yet it is not bad to hear a different note in that parliament.
Many people believe that he is a nice décor to show there is an opposition in the parliament.
On the other hand, Egypt’s ministry of health announced the death toll of the accident increased to 22 from 20 on Thursday as two critically injured men passed away in hospital.
The families of the missing people began to report that they found them unfortunately as dead with heartbreaking stories.
Workers and employees at the Station also reported that some of their colleagues are mostly dead and that their bodies are charred under the locomotive.
Back to the media and its circus.
On Thursday, a common theme between the newspapers whether privately-own or state-own or partisan-owned is “How the Egyptian state was fighting the neglect”.
The newspapers and news websites also shared transportation disasters in the World, as usual, to demonstrate how “this shit” happens everywhere.
The mainstream media also focused to defend President El-Sisi and to prove that the Muslim Brotherhood members and sympathizers were liars and used an old statement for Sisi in a video out of its context.
Well even if you listen to the full clip, it does not make things better for Sisi in those difficult times because in the full clip Sisi speaks about the importance of raising the price of the train tickets to meet it the railways’ costs.
The tickets’ prices have increased in the past two years already and there is no tangible change in the quality of the service when the average citizen reads day and night about those plans and big buildings being built in the new administrative capital.
The whole situation will make citizens angrier
.
Needless to say, some TV channels do not think any more about the material and promos they air.
CBC TV channel aired throughout the day promos about why the Egyptian people should support the constitutional amendments.
Among those promos, a promo that speaks about the achievements of the current administration in the railway's field !!!
Just as the Egyptian TV channels ignored the incident as a tragedy, We found Google Egypt on Thursday paying respect to the victims and post a black ribbon on its official Google Egypt search.
Now I can’t ignore at all what our Sudanese brothers and sisters did at one of their rallies on Thursday.
The Sudanese protesters stood for a moment of mourning during their rally in Khartoum paying respect to the victims during their protest against dictator Omar El-Bashir.
I can’t describe in a few words how I feel towards this little gesture.
May Allah bless the Sudanese protesters and protect them.
Unexpectedly we found on Thursday that a young Egyptian man called Ahmed Mohi Abdel Atty went to Tahrir square for an-one-man-protest “which is officially legal” against Abdel Fattah El-Fattah El-Sisi.
That young man who works as a pharmacist was arrested in no time.
His father is a former police general and Ex-MP during the Mubarak era.
Before his protest and his arrest, Mohi went in a Live broadcast on Facebook “It was closed down” telling his followers that he was angry because of what happened at Cairo’s Ramses Railways Station and that he was holding Sisi the responsibility.
In the past 48 hours, there have been hashtag wars on Twitter between Sisi's supporters and the MB supporters.
At the same time, many Egyptians are angry that our number international star Mohamed Salah is smiling in his bed on Thursday when people have not received most of the bodies of their beloved ones.
Not a good move ya Salah.
The two train locomotive drivers involved in that fight according to the Prosecutor general’s second statement are among those six suspects.
Unprecedently and interestingly, we found late Wednesday ONTV channel broadcasting an on-air interview exclusively with the crashed locomotive driver who was officially being interrogated by the Prosecution.
I do not recall that this has ever happened before in the media before.
That interview and its timing raised many eyebrows including old Mubarak-era prosecutors and former governors like ex-Governor and former prosecutor Adly Hussein !!
Nevertheless, the interview revealed very interesting information if true.
 |
| From Cairo's station on Wednesday "Ahmed Hassan" |
Despite he said that he was not responsible for the accident, he admitted that he did a mistake for not using the brakes to stop the locomotive.
Fathy was too calm and had that smile on his face that made many feel unease.
On Thursday, the prosecution order his blood to be analyzed to see if he was driving under the influence of some substance.
Living in Giza’s Kerdasa and being poor made many Pro-regime supporters accuse Fathy of being an MB member online madly without any proof except as I said “He lives in Kerdasa”
MP Said Hasansin did not waste any time in those 24 hours and presented a bill to “execute negligent train conductors” !!
Most of the MPs blamed the locomotive driver except the very few MPs of the 25-30 bloc above them MP Ahmed El-Tantawy who slammed both the parliament and the president in a very short statement.
I do not have high hopes in El-Tantawy especially he is a Nasserite yet it is not bad to hear a different note in that parliament.
Many people believe that he is a nice décor to show there is an opposition in the parliament.
On the other hand, Egypt’s ministry of health announced the death toll of the accident increased to 22 from 20 on Thursday as two critically injured men passed away in hospital.
The families of the missing people began to report that they found them unfortunately as dead with heartbreaking stories.
Workers and employees at the Station also reported that some of their colleagues are mostly dead and that their bodies are charred under the locomotive.
Back to the media and its circus.
On Thursday, a common theme between the newspapers whether privately-own or state-own or partisan-owned is “How the Egyptian state was fighting the neglect”.
 |
| That syndrome of same headlines over and over once again "Michel Hanna" |
The mainstream media also focused to defend President El-Sisi and to prove that the Muslim Brotherhood members and sympathizers were liars and used an old statement for Sisi in a video out of its context.
Well even if you listen to the full clip, it does not make things better for Sisi in those difficult times because in the full clip Sisi speaks about the importance of raising the price of the train tickets to meet it the railways’ costs.
The tickets’ prices have increased in the past two years already and there is no tangible change in the quality of the service when the average citizen reads day and night about those plans and big buildings being built in the new administrative capital.
The whole situation will make citizens angrier
.
Needless to say, some TV channels do not think any more about the material and promos they air.
CBC TV channel aired throughout the day promos about why the Egyptian people should support the constitutional amendments.
Among those promos, a promo that speaks about the achievements of the current administration in the railway's field !!!
I do not know how they think about those TV channels.القنوات المصرية مستمرة في إعلانات تعديل الدستور ، ده مفيش خشي أبدا والله لا والإعلان بيتكلم عن تطوير النقل بجاحة لا مثيل لها ، طب شوية بس لحد ما الناس تدفن ميتينها ! #محطة_قطارات_مصَر #لا_للتعديلات_الدستورية pic.twitter.com/5yIMF3Z8hb— Samar Elhussieny (@S_Elhussieny) February 27, 2019
Just as the Egyptian TV channels ignored the incident as a tragedy, We found Google Egypt on Thursday paying respect to the victims and post a black ribbon on its official Google Egypt search.
Now I can’t ignore at all what our Sudanese brothers and sisters did at one of their rallies on Thursday.
The Sudanese protesters stood for a moment of mourning during their rally in Khartoum paying respect to the victims during their protest against dictator Omar El-Bashir.
الخرطوم بحري :— ابو الريش (@aresha_an) February 28, 2019
شمبات الحضراب ووقفة حداد لشهداء إخواننا المصريين في حادثة القطار... #محطة_مصر#مدن_السودان_تنتفض pic.twitter.com/2rKusqoQWl
I can’t describe in a few words how I feel towards this little gesture.
May Allah bless the Sudanese protesters and protect them.
Unexpectedly we found on Thursday that a young Egyptian man called Ahmed Mohi Abdel Atty went to Tahrir square for an-one-man-protest “which is officially legal” against Abdel Fattah El-Fattah El-Sisi.
 |
| Dr. Ahmed Mohi in Tahrir and during his arrest "Asma Mohi, his sister' |
His father is a former police general and Ex-MP during the Mubarak era.
Before his protest and his arrest, Mohi went in a Live broadcast on Facebook “It was closed down” telling his followers that he was angry because of what happened at Cairo’s Ramses Railways Station and that he was holding Sisi the responsibility.
In the past 48 hours, there have been hashtag wars on Twitter between Sisi's supporters and the MB supporters.
At the same time, many Egyptians are angry that our number international star Mohamed Salah is smiling in his bed on Thursday when people have not received most of the bodies of their beloved ones.
Not a good move ya Salah.
Thank you for a good blog post , sad but true.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for the English version of this horrendous accident. Just awful to know this occurred. I haven't personally seen much maintenance throughout the sections we visited many times since 2011, and after 8 years, it makes me extremely sad for the wonderful citizens of Egypt to see this. Their lives are not improving substantially, and now this! Always the govt. Passing but ultimately, the government IS responsible, because they own the rr the brakes, the upkeep. R.I.P. and we grieve with the families.
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