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Rabat – Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika has sent condolences to King Mohammed VI following the Bouknadel train accident.
In his message, Bouteflika expressed “deep sympathy” and condolences to the King and wished a speedy recovery for the injured, reported state owned agency, Maghreb Arab Press (MAP) on Wednesday.
The train No. 9 linking Rabat and Kenitra on the Casablanca-Kenitra line derailed near Bouknadel on Tuesday, October 16, at 10:20 a.m., killing 7 and injuring 125.
The tragic accident shook the country and made international headlines.
The cause of the derailment, according to the investigation, was speeding.
The public prosecutor of Sale’s Court of First Instance blamed the driver for going 158 kilometers per hour when the speed limit on the stretch of track where the train derailed was only 60 kilometers per hour.
On the other hand, many Moroccans blamed the National Railway Office (ONCF) for the accident after a recording of a conversation between ONCF employees went viral. The recording said that faulty tracks and absence of speed-limit signs caused the accident.
Only one week ago, Moroccans called for a boycott of ONCF, but the controversy following the accident has since died down.
Read Also: Bouknadel Train Accident: Public Prosecutor Blames Train Driver
But survivors are still dealing with the aftermath of the accident.
Minister of Transport Abdelkader Amara announced Monday that a commission will provide free psychiatric support for the passengers.
The move came after a group of young Moroccan psychiatrists and psychologists based in Rabat and Casablanca volunteered to listen to and counsel the passengers recovering from the trauma of the accident.
Hashtags #Ajithder (come talk) and videos of the psychologists have circulated social media in recent days, inviting the train passengers to take advantage of the services.
Some 210 coaches and employees at ONCF are mobilized to assist travelers at train stations across the country. ONCF also has a customer relations line to answer customers’ questions and requests.
