Alaa Mubarak, son of the late Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, and businessman Naguib Sawiris, commented on the collision between two trains in Al-Ayat in Giza, last Sunday, which resulted in deaths and injuries, amid calls to hold Egyptian Minister of Transport Kamel Al-Wazir responsible for the accident and demand his resignation.
Alaa Mubarak wrote in a post on his official account on the “X” platform, previously Twitter, on Wednesday: “There is no doubt that train accidents are among the most painful issues for society because they cause the loss of our most precious human lives.”
He added: "My sincere condolences to the families of the victims who lost their lives in the Al-Ayat train accident, praying to God to cover them with His vast mercy and to inspire their families with patience and solace."
Alaa Mubarak went on to say: “It is strange that some voices rush with every accident and anticipate events and demand the resignation of the Minister of Transport without waiting for the results of the investigations, which is illogical. No one disagrees that the entire team of the Minister is making a huge effort and working with all seriousness to develop this vital facility, and the extent of the ongoing work is clear and tangible to everyone on the ground. Some cite the resignation of a Spanish minister following an accident there. Is this a solution to prevent the occurrence of other accidents in the future? Therefore, it is logical and rational to wait and leave the competent authorities to conduct full official and technical investigations. This is to reach the real reasons behind the incident and hold the actual negligent parties accountable, away from being motivated, targeting the minister, placing ready blame on him, and demanding his resignation!
One of the users of the “X” platform commented, saying: “Here I will be silent for a while, but there are two words: medicine and road accidents every once in a while, and the other one involves young girls, young men, and children!!! It turns out that the roads are wasteful, and he himself admits this and says, ‘We need money to fix the roads!!!’ I don’t pay more attention to the roads in all parts of Egypt than to build bridges and luxury goods.”
Alaa Mubarak replied to her, saying: “Your Honor, to be precise, the largest percentage and main cause of most road accidents is the human element, the behavior of drivers, and we all see it in driving in the opposite direction and at high speed, and we often see some people using mobile phones while driving!”
For his part, Naguib Sawiris said in a post on his account on the “X” platform: “A true testimony and from the knowledge of Mr. Minister of Transport, Kamel Al-Wazir, who works at least 12 hours a day, and has created a huge boom in the railway authority, and accidents happen even in European countries. Lurking around him does not benefit our country, because he works hard, intelligently, dedicatedly, and sincerely... and he does not need my testimony.”
The Egyptian businessman's post came in response to a report published by a news website in which the Egyptian Parliament member, Alaa Al-Hadiwi, was quoted as praising the efforts of Transport Minister Kamel Al-Wazir, saying: "We are sleeping in our homes, and he is not late at work."
Last Sunday, 7 people were killed and 112 others were injured as a result of a two-train collision in Giza Governorate, while the authorities sent 72 ambulances, emergency teams and cranes to the site of the accident, after a number of passenger cars overturned.
For his part, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi expressed his sincere condolences to the families of the victims of the two train collision accident in Giza Governorate, directing state agencies to provide the necessary medical care for the injured, quickly investigate the circumstances of the accident, and hold accountable anyone proven to be negligent.
