CAIRO, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- Egypt has launched an on-the-spot technical railway check after a recent deadly train crash in Alexandria, which killed 49 people, the general prosecution office said in a statement on Saturday.
Egypt's top prosecutor assigned a military engineering body to perform an on-the-spot technical railway check after the deadly train crash in the coastal city of Alexandria.
The top prosecutor ordered formation of a seven-member committee from the Armed Forces Engineering Authority and the consultation office of the Military Technical College to issue a report on Friday's two-train collision in seaside northern city of Alexandria that left at least 49 dead and over 130 wounded.
The committee will also include two members from the country's anti-corruption Administrative Control Authority.
"The committee's mission is to examine the crash scene and technically check the soundness of the railroad and the traffic light signals and semaphores based on the standards regulated for railway operation," said the statement.
Meanwhile, the Transportation Ministry said that the two drivers of the twin trains have been held for questioning and four railway officials have been suspended over the tragedy.
Over the past 15 years, Egypt has witnessed several deadly railway crashes that signaled poor railway conditions and lack of necessary railroad maintenance.
The worst train accident in Egypt took place at Giza's district of Ayyat in 2002, which killed 350 passengers when fire broke out in a train coming from Upper Egypt, forcing passengers to hopelessly jump out to survive.
Another train tragedy hit the country 10 years later, particularly in November 2012, when a train hit a school bus at a crossing barrier area in Upper Egypt's Assiut province, killing over 50 children.
Later in early 2013, the derailment of a train in Giza carrying new police recruits left 19 people killed and over 100 wounded.
