On Wednesday morning, the Egyptian public was hit with tragic and graphic photos and videos of the victims of the train collision in Cairo’s Ramsees Railway Station. At least 20 people were killed and 41 others were injured when a blaze broke out in Cairo’s Ramses Railway Station following the crash. The death toll rose from 20 to 22, after two of the injured died in hospital on Thursday, according to Egypt’s Minister of Health Hala Zayed. Many of the victims still remain unidentified, as DNA tests need to be taken to identify the charred remains of the victims. Egyptian Streets takes a look at some of the victims that were identified since the collision. BISHOY FATHI KAMEL Dr. Bishoy Fathi Kamel, a dentist from the province of Aswan, died in the train accident on Wednesday. “He arrived from Aswan to Cairo to attend a conference at the Doctors’ Syndicate, and the last contact we had with him was at 9 am with my sister,” says Carlos, brother of Bishoy’s fiancée for Al Masry Al Youm. “I arrived, my love” was the last words he said to his fiancée, Mariam…
“I Can’t Do It All” Initiative to Break Society’s Expectations of Women
Egyptian blogger Amira Shohdi launched a new, ongoing initiative “I Can’t Do It All” in October 2018. The initiative is intended to raise awareness on how society’s expectations are adding a lot of pressure on women. It especially aims to tackle the notion of expecting women to be flexible in dealing with their everyday duties and taking more responsibilities than they care bear, un-assisted, as is the ‘natural’ role of women instilled in Middle Eastern upbringing. Shohdi realized that this misconception of the role of women has caused difficulties in raising healthy girls and young women with healthy mindsets. It has often stunted self-care as well as self-love and halted the mindset of thinking of her wants as there is constant pressure to care, love and add value to her community. This perpetual sense of self-sacrifice has further perpetuated the idea that a woman is expected to juggle her career, marriage, and children without any help and without resorting to private, self-indulging activities. We speak to Shohdi about her initiative and its goals. As a Middle Eastern woman raised in New Zealand, what inspired you to start the “I Can’t…
UN: Israel Guilty of Crimes Against Humanity
Israeli security forces may have committed war crimes and crimes against humanity by using lethal military force against unarmed protesters in Gaza, a United Nations independent commission of inquiry recently reported. “The Commission has found reasonable grounds to believe that Israeli security forces committed serious violations of humans rights and international humanitarian law,” Santiago Canton, the head of the commission, stated on Thursday “These violations clearly warrant criminal investigation and prosecution.” The report states that more than “6,000 unarmed demonstrators were shot by military snipers, week after week at the protest sites by the separation fence,” and “another 3,098 Palestinians were injured by bullet fragmentation, rubber-coated metal bullets or by hits from tear gas canister.” The commission was formed after more than 60 people were killed in a single day of protests last May in 2018, it was responsible for identifying and investigating those responsible for rights violations in relation to the Great March of Return demonstrations along Gaza’s eastern boundary. “Unless undertaken lawfully in self-defence, intentionally shooting a civilian not directly participating in hostilities is a war crime,” the report added. “We are saying that they have intentionally shot children. They have intentionally shot…
These Heroes Saved Burning Victims Caught in Ramsees Station’s Deadly Explosion
As footage of the deadly blaze in Ramsees Railway Station circulated social media, people quickly spotted a number of heroes who risked their livss to save those who were caught in the tragic fire. Mohamed Abdelrahman, Mohamed The’ib, and Waleed Mordy are kiosk clerks at Watania Sleeping Trains and Catering Services who were present at the time of the incident. Waleed has been working as a clerk at the railway station for over 17 years. He used to work on the Cairo to Aswan train, but he recently decided to move his kiosk to the platform in Cairo’s Ramsees Railway Station. Waleed pointed out that this was the first time something like this happens in Cairo. In an interview with ON TV, Waleed recalls.”I was standing where I work and I heard a loud sound of an explosion. So I went to have a look, and found that a large fire broke out.” “I saw people who were caught on fire running past me, so of course I stood there for a second in utter shock,” he continued,”So I ran to grab a big bucket of water from my kiosk. We…
Train Collision Investigations Reveal Driver’s Absence
Following Wednesday’s deadly train collision in which more than 20 were killed and around 50 were wounded, official investigations have been ongoing and revealing that the event was sparked by neglect rather than by accident. HOW DID THE CRASH OCCUR? According to the Public Prosecutor’s statement, the train was heading towards a train yard when when it was struck by another train in an adjacent path. The collision occurred in Cairo’s Ramses railway station on Wednesday morning. Black smoke could be seen from afar while flames engulfed a good part of the station. The conductor of the train car exited the locomotive, without turning off the engine to talk to the conductor of the other train. The conductor had not properly set the brake, as he should have, which paved the way for the rest of the crash as the train continued to move forward towards the station at great speed. Rumours of the train being without a conductor spread amidst the initial frenzy of the incident, paving way for rumored motives of terrorism. However, this fact was solidly confirmed on Wednesday evening by Egyptian officials. It was further evidenced through…
Egypt’s Transportation Minister Resigns Over Train Accident
Egypt’s Transportation Minister Hisham Arafat submitted his resignation to Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouli after the huge blaze that broke out at Cairo’s Railway Station in Ramsis. At least 25 people were killed and 40 others were injured when a blaze broke out in Cairo’s Ramses Railway Station early Wednesday, according to local media. The Ministry of Transportation reports that the train slammed into the platform at Ramsees Station’s platform number six. The crash caused a massive fire that killed dozens. On social media, users have been sharing graphic photographs of the incident, with many showing charred bodies on the railway tracks and nearby platform. All movement to and from Ramsees Station has completely halted as security has closed off the site with ambulances and firefighters nearby. Source: Reuters Immediately following the incident, various members of the Egyptian government traveled to the area of the incident. In statements to the media, Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly vowed to exact the harshest punishment on those responsible for the incident. Meanwhile, Egypt’s Prosecutor-General has opened an investigation into the incident and police are investigating CCTV cameras and talking to witnesses to determine the…
22 Killed in Cairo Railway Station Fire
According to photos circulated on social media and various local media outlets, a large and deadly blaze at Cairo’s Ramsees Railway Station has killed more than 20 people and injured at least 40 others. Security sources state that a fire erupted upon a train’s collision with one of the platforms at Ramsees Railway Station, Cairo’s main railway station. The Ministry of Transportation reports that the train slammed into the platform at Ramsees Station’s platform number six. The crash caused a massive fire that killed dozens. On social media, users have been sharing graphic photographs of the incident, with many showing charred bodies on the railway tracks and nearby platform. All movement to and from Ramsees Station has completely halted as security has closed off the site with ambulances and firefighters nearby. The train driver, in critical condition, has been taken to a hospital. The exact cause of the incident has yet to be specified. Immediately following the incident, various members of the Egyptian government traveled to the area of the incident. In statements to the media, Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly vowed to exact the harshest punishment on those responsible…
Somebody to Love? Rami Malek Without Freddie Mercury
During high-school, in Kuwait, we would chant We Will Rock You to intimidate our opponents, and later chant We are the Champions to declare victory. I also remember quizzically wondering if Queen really did in fact sing bismillah in Bohemian Rhapsody. And though, back then, I could sing along to many of Queen’s songs with no memory of when I learned the lyrics, I knew nothing about the band members until I watched the biopic, Bohemian Rhapsody, in the theaters. Outrageous, I know. Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy? When Rami Malek won the Oscar – and earlier the BAFTA and Golden Globe – for Best Actor for his role in Bohemian Rhapsody, I woke up the next morning to a bustling Facebook newsfeed. There were aunties, uncles and friends, as well as cultural and political organizations – homophobic and not – claiming Rami as one of their own: A Copt! An Egyptian! An Arab! After his recent success, their Facebook posts were accompanied by a selection of Rami’s speech: “I am a son of immigrants from Egypt, a first-generation American, and part of my story is…
Europe Should Stop “Imposing Their Views” on Egypt: El Sisi Said at EU-Arab League Summit
After Egypt received backlash from European countries for its laws regarding terrorism, the death penalty and human rights, President Abdel Fattah El Sisi responded by emphasizing that the western countries should not “impose their views” on Egypt, Ahram Online reported. During El Sisi’s speech at the closing ceremony at the EU-Arab League Summit, the president said that the priorities of Arab countries it to maintain themselves from “collapsing” and that European nations should “respect the country’s morals and humanity.” The statement was following a question by a German journalist who asked El Sisi how he feels the about the EU’s criticism of Egypt’s human rights record. “Let me tell the reporter, that the priority for you as European states is to achieve welfare; our priority is to preserve our countries and protect them from fall, destruction, and collapse,” El-Sisi said. This came in light of a recent incident when Egypt executed 15 people in February who were charged with the murder of Egypt’s top prosecutor in 2015, a judge’s son in 2014 and a police officer in 2013, a verdict that many human rights activists including the Office of the UN…