Public Rage over Egyptian Killed after Being Forced to Jump Off Moving Train

Arab World

October 30th, 10:14am

Cairo – Asharq Al-Awsat

Egyptians look at the crash of two trains that collided near the Khorshid station in Egypt's coastal city of Alexandria, Egypt August 11, 2017. REUTERS/Osama Nageb

A young Egyptian man was killed and another wounded after a ticket inspector forced them to jump from a moving train, in an incident which has caused huge anger in the country. Egypt's Transport Minister, Kamel al-Wazir, held the inspector responsible and relayed his condolences to the family of the victim. There was widespread interest in television programs, local newspapers, as well as social media accounts, regarding the death of the 20-year-old Mohamed Attia, who was dubbed the ‘martyr of the ticket.’ By Tuesday, the Arabic hashtag translating as "the martyr of the ticket" had been used more than 24,000 times on Twitter. "The punishment for those who do not have [money] has become murder now," comedian Waleed Abulmagd wrote on Facebook. "We didn't know that the new system dictates that you either pay or you die," another user tweeted. In February, the previous transport minister, Hashim Arafat, resigned after a train crash sparked a large fire at Cairo's main railway station, in which scores of people were killed or injured. Railway authorities said at least four people had been killed and others injured in an accident involving a train in Luxor, southern Egypt. Al-Wazir, for his part, apologized on behalf of railway authorities and all employees for what happened, saying: “We are in our places to serve the citizens who should be provided with assistance, and be dealt with in different situations in accordance with the law.” The minister said that the family of the victim will be remunerated and vowed that those responsible will be held accountable. “All must spend every effort to preserve the life of any Egyptian citizen,” the minister said. On the other hand, railway authorities launched a rehabilitation and training program to help prepare workers to handle emergency situations positively and within a legal framework.

from Asharq AL-awsat https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1968401/public-rage-over-egyptian-killed-after-being-forced-jump-moving-train