A government investigation into Egypt’s deadly train crash last month has uncovered a harrowing litany of criminal negligence and inefficiency that killed 20 people and injured 199.
Factors leading to the accident in March 26 in Sohag province included a train driver and assistant ignoring red lights to stop, and drug abuse, according to initial findings released by the General Prosecution’s office on Sunday.
The Health Ministry and the state railway authority said the accident happened when a train made an unscheduled stop near the station of a rural town.
Another train crashed into the back of the first train, causing two carriages to overturn. The engine of the second train was derailed.
Authorities detained the train drivers, their assistants and signal staff the day after the accident.
The statement on Sunday raised the death toll to 20 and that of the injured to 199. It said the damage was estimated at about 26 million Egyptian pounds ($1.6m).
Although rail accidents in Egypt are common, the accident in Sohag triggered an outcry over the death toll.
It also raised questions about the large sums being spent on upgrading the rail service and led to calls for harsh punishment for anyone found responsible.
One finding in the report contradicted a claim by the railway authority that the first train stopped because someone pulled the emergency brake.
Passengers, conductors and other railway employees on board told investigators they did not hear the loud noise normally produced by pulling the emergency brake. But the report did not say why the train made the unscheduled stop.
The report said the driver of the train approaching from behind and his assistant claimed that they were at the wheel at the time of the crash. The driver's assistant told investigators that light signals remained green until the point where he could see the other train 500 metres ahead. The driver of the train said he could see the other train only when he was 100 metres behind it.
The head of the regional railway control room left his office without authorisation shortly before the crash and the two employees he left in charge showed gross negligence, the report said.
“One of the two employees was late in alerting the incoming train about the other train that stopped and initially gave its driver the wrong number of the other train,” it said. “The other employee quit trying to get in touch with the driver of the incoming train. He claimed to have twice tried to reach him by telephone”, but records showed he did not make those calls.
Recordings of radio conversations showed that warnings from the control room were issued late and did not continue long enough, the report said.
Investigators found that a light signal 1.3km from the crash site was yellow, meaning the train had to slow down. Another signal nearer to the site was red.
Investigators conducted 13 simulations and all showed the approaching train could have stopped about 500 metres before the crash site if the driver had heeded the red light.
Blood tests also showed the assistant driver of the train that made an unscheduled stop and an employee at a signal tower near the spot used drugs.
The government has spent 40 billion Egyptian pounds on upgrading Egypt’s railway network in the past six years and plans to spend 141bn more in the next few years.
Authorities say more railway accidents can be expected until the overhaul is completed but that extreme caution would meanwhile be exercised, which could lead to considerable delays.
The crash was the deadliest rail accident in Egypt since February 2019, when an engine car laden with fuel hit a wall at Cairo’s main train station, igniting a fire that killed 22 and injured scores.
In 2017, two passenger trains collided in northern Egypt, killing at least 41 people and injuring more than 120.
Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
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Rating: 3/5
Trump v Khan
2016: Feud begins after Khan criticised Trump’s proposed Muslim travel ban to US
2017: Trump criticises Khan’s ‘no reason to be alarmed’ response to London Bridge terror attacks
2019: Trump calls Khan a “stone cold loser” before first state visit
2019: Trump tweets about “Khan’s Londonistan”, calling him “a national disgrace”
2022: Khan’s office attributes rise in Islamophobic abuse against the major to hostility stoked during Trump’s presidency
July 2025 During a golfing trip to Scotland, Trump calls Khan “a nasty person”
Sept 2025 Trump blames Khan for London’s “stabbings and the dirt and the filth”.
Dec 2025 Trump suggests migrants got Khan elected, calls him a “horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor”
Key changes
Commission caps
For life insurance products with a savings component, Peter Hodgins of Clyde & Co said different caps apply to the saving and protection elements:
• For the saving component, a cap of 4.5 per cent of the annualised premium per year (which may not exceed 90 per cent of the annualised premium over the policy term).
• On the protection component, there is a cap of 10 per cent of the annualised premium per year (which may not exceed 160 per cent of the annualised premium over the policy term).
• Indemnity commission, the amount of commission that can be advanced to a product salesperson, can be 50 per cent of the annualised premium for the first year or 50 per cent of the total commissions on the policy calculated.
• The remaining commission after deduction of the indemnity commission is paid equally over the premium payment term.
• For pure protection products, which only offer a life insurance component, the maximum commission will be 10 per cent of the annualised premium multiplied by the length of the policy in years.
Disclosure
Customers must now be provided with a full illustration of the product they are buying to ensure they understand the potential returns on savings products as well as the effects of any charges. There is also a “free-look” period of 30 days, where insurers must provide a full refund if the buyer wishes to cancel the policy.
“The illustration should provide for at least two scenarios to illustrate the performance of the product,” said Mr Hodgins. “All illustrations are required to be signed by the customer.”
Another illustration must outline surrender charges to ensure they understand the costs of exiting a fixed-term product early.
Illustrations must also be kept updatedand insurers must provide information on the top five investment funds available annually, including at least five years' performance data.
“This may be segregated based on the risk appetite of the customer (in which case, the top five funds for each segment must be provided),” said Mr Hodgins.
Product providers must also disclose the ratio of protection benefit to savings benefits. If a protection benefit ratio is less than 10 per cent "the product must carry a warning stating that it has limited or no protection benefit" Mr Hodgins added.
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How to donate
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
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The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
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Four reasons global stock markets are falling right now
There are many factors worrying investors right now and triggering a rush out of stock markets. Here are four of the biggest:
1. Rising US interest rates
The US Federal Reserve has increased interest rates three times this year in a bid to prevent its buoyant economy from overheating. They now stand at between 2 and 2.25 per cent and markets are pencilling in three more rises next year.
Kim Catechis, manager of the Legg Mason Martin Currie Global Emerging Markets Fund, says US inflation is rising and the Fed will continue to raise rates in 2019. “With inflationary pressures growing, an increasing number of corporates are guiding profitability expectations downwards for 2018 and 2019, citing the negative impact of rising costs.”
At the same time as rates are rising, central bankers in the US and Europe have been ending quantitative easing, bringing the era of cheap money to an end.
2. Stronger dollar
High US rates have driven up the value of the dollar and bond yields, and this is putting pressure on emerging market countries that took advantage of low interest rates to run up trillions in dollar-denominated debt. They have also suffered capital outflows as international investors have switched to the US, driving markets lower. Omar Negyal, portfolio manager of the JP Morgan Global Emerging Markets Income Trust, says this looks like a buying opportunity. “Despite short-term volatility we remain positive about long-term prospects and profitability for emerging markets.”
3. Global trade war
Ritu Vohora, investment director at fund manager M&G, says markets fear that US President Donald Trump’s spat with China will escalate into a full-blown global trade war, with both sides suffering. “The US economy is robust enough to absorb higher input costs now, but this may not be the case as tariffs escalate. However, with a host of factors hitting investor sentiment, this is becoming a stock picker’s market.”
4. Eurozone uncertainty
Europe faces two challenges right now in the shape of Brexit and the new populist government in eurozone member Italy.
Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at IG, which has offices in Dubai, says the stand-off between between Rome and Brussels threatens to become much more serious. "As with Brexit, neither side appears willing to step back from the edge, threatening more trouble down the line.”
The European economy may also be slowing, Mr Beauchamp warns. “A four-year low in eurozone manufacturing confidence highlights the fact that producers see a bumpy road ahead, with US-EU trade talks remaining a major question-mark for exporters.”
The view from The National
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
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6026 – Dh 200
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