Cairo train crash: Egyptian railway worker dubbed a hero for saving burning victims

An Egyptian railway worker has been heralded as a hero after he was filmed risking his life trying to extinguish flames which engulfed victims of a deadly train crash in Cairo.

Named locally as Walid Mardi, the worker at the Watania Sleeping Trains and Catering Services, allegedly saved the lives of 10 people together with a colleague Wednesday morning when disaster struck.

He was filmed on CCTV cameras running towards people who were burning alive and dousing them with water despite the obvious dangers.

The horrific footage, in which at least three people are seen completely engulfed in flames, was widely shared by Egyptians who immediately commended Mr Mardi because of his bravery.

“The fire was burning the people. My only thoughts were focused on extinguishing the fire,” he told privately-owned news website Masrawy.

“The victims were screaming and crying. The scene of the fire was very hard,” he said.

He later told Akhbar el-Yom, another Egyptian news outlet, that he regarded the victims as his “siblings” and was still traumatised by the event.

“I cannot wake up from the shock. The cries of the victims are still ringing in my ears, and I am still amazed at the scenes of the victims and the wounded,” he said.

At least 25 people were killed and over 45 wounded, when an unmanned railcar used to tow trains smashed through barriers at the end of platform of Cairo’s main Ramses station before bursting into flames.

Video footage taken at the scene showed charred bodies littered across the platform and tracks, as well as people burning alive and running down staircases in panic.

An investigation was launched on Wednesday afternoon. Egypt’s top prosecutor General Nabil Sadek said investigators found that the crash had been caused by a fight between two train conductors.

One exited his railcar without switching off the engine, it gathered speed and hit a concrete and metal barrier exploding, he said.

Egyptian officials warned that the death toll may rise because of the severity of the injuries. Some of the bodies were burnt beyond recognition and DNA tests were carried out to determine their identities.

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi called on his government to carry out an investigation and hold those responsible accountable.

Prime minister Mostafa Madbouli, who visited the station, promised a tough response.

“Any person found to be negligent will be held accountable and it will be severe,” he said.

Transport minister Hisham Arafat later resigned his post, according to a statement released by the cabinet office.

Ramses station, located in the heart of the Egyptian capital, is Egypt’s main and busiest train hub.

The country’s crumbling train network has long suffered from deadly crashes and Egyptians have repeatedly complained that the government has failed to deal with chronic transport problems.

Hours after the crash, one person was killed and six others injured in another train accident in El-Alamein, near the northern city of Alexandria, according to state media.

Wednesday’s incident was the deadliest in Egypt since August 2017 when two passenger trains collided near Alexandria, killing more than 40 people and injuring scores.

The next year a train crash in the northern province of Beheira killed at least 15 people and injured dozens more.

Statistics show the number of train accidents has increased over the years.

The official statistics agency there 1,793 train accidents in 2017, up from 1,249 in 2016.