In Egypt, train hits school bus, killing 51
Associated Press
ASSIUT, Egypt
A speeding train that crashed into a bus carrying Egyptian children to their kindergarten Saturday killed 51 and prompted a wave of anger against a government under mounting pressure to rectify the former regime’s legacy of neglect.
The crash, which killed children between 4 and 6 years old and three adults, led to local protests and accusations from outraged Egyptians that President Mohammed Morsi is failing to deliver on the demands of last year’s uprising for basic rights, dignity and social justice.
The accident left behind a mangled shell of a bus twisted underneath the blood-splattered train outside the city of Assiut, some 200 miles south of Cairo.
Children’s body parts, their books, schoolbags and tiny socks were strewn along the tracks.
Um Ibrahim, a mother whose three children were on the bus, pulled her hair in grief. “My children! I didn’t feed you before you left,” she wailed in horror.
A witness said the train pushed the bus along the tracks for nearly half a mile.
More than a dozen injured children were being treated in two facilities, many with severed limbs and in critical condition.
Several hours after the accident, Morsi appeared on state television, promising an investigation and financial compensation for victims’ families. His transport minister and the head of Egypt’s railways resigned.
“Those responsible for this accident will be held accountable,” Morsi said.