Egypt Fires Top Railway Official after Deadly Train Crashes

CAIRO - Egypt's transportation minister on Tuesday said he sacked the country's top railway official, following three train accidents in less than a month that left more than 40 people dead and more than 350 injured.

The firing of Ashraf Raslan was part of an attempt to overhaul the rundown railway system's leadership amid public outcry over repeated train crashes. Raslan, who headed the railway authority since July 2018, was replaced by Mustafa Abuel-Makarm, Transportation Minister Kamal el-Wazir said in a statement. The personnel changes included the main departments of the railway authority that manages train traffic in the Arab world's most populous country. The goal is to "inject a number of competent professionals" as part of efforts to upgrade the poorly maintained network, the statement said.