23 dead as Mexico City metro overpass collapses onto the road

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The crash occurred on Line 12 of the metro, which has been plagued with concerns and allegations of irregularities since its construction.

Late on May 3, an elevated portion of the Mexico City metro collapsed, sending a subway car plunging into a crowded boulevard, killing at least 23 people and injuring more than 70, according to city authorities. For hours, rescuers searched a vehicle hanging from the overpass for someone stuck inside. However, those attempts were put on hold early on May 4 due to worries about the safety of those operating around the precariously hanging driver.

To help shore things up, a crane was brought in. “We don’t know if they’re alive,” Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum said of the passengers who might have been stuck inside the car after one of the city’s busiest subway system’s worst collisions. Ms Sheinbaum has previously stated that someone had been rescued alive from a vehicle stranded on the ground below. She said 49 of the wounded had been admitted to hospitals, with seven of them in critical condition and awaiting surgery.

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“Unfortunately, there are children among the dead,” Ms Sheinbaum said, without elaborating on the number.

The overpass in the borough of Tlahuac was about 5 metres (16 feet) above the lane, but the train ran over a concrete median strip, which reduced the number of fatalities for vehicles on the road below. Ms Sheinbaum said that “a support beam gives way” as the train went over it.

After its inception half a century ago, the Mexico City Metro has seen at least two major injuries. A train that failed to stop on time collided with another at the Oceania station in 2015. On May 4, hundreds of police officers and firefighters cordoned off the area as worried families and friends of those suspected to be on the train gathered outside the security perimeter. About the fact that the coronavirus situation in Mexico City remains critical, they huddled together in anticipation of the news.

Adrián Loa Martnez, 46, said his mother called him to say his half-brother and sister-in-law were driving when the overpass collapsed and a beam crashed onto their vehicle. His sister-in-law was saved and taken to the hospital, but his half-brother José Juan Galindo was crushed, and he thought he was dead, he said. Gisela Rioja Castro, 43, was on the lookout for her 42-year-old husband, Miguel ngel Espinoza. Her husband used to take the train after finishing work at a supermarket, but he never returned home and had stopped answering his phone, she said. She instantly feared the worst when she learned what had happened, but the authorities have given her no details.

She said, “No one knows anything.”

The collapse happened on Line 12, the city’s newest subway line, which extends well into the city’s south side. It operates underground through the city’s core parts, as many of the city’s dozen subway lines, but then runs on elevated concrete platforms on the city’s suburbs. The collapse may be a big setback for Mexican Foreign Relations Secretary Marcelo Ebrard, who served as mayor of Mexico City from 2006 to 2012, during the construction of Line 12. Soon after Mr Ebrard stepped down as mayor, allegations of faulty planning and maintenance on the subway line surfaced. In 2013, the line had to be partially shut down to allow for track repairs.

“What occurred today on the Metro is a horrific tragedy,” Mr Ebrard wrote on Twitter. He said, “Of course, the causes should be investigated and those responsible found.” “I reiterate that I am completely available to officials to assist in any way that is required.” It was unclear if the subway line was impacted by a 7.1-magnitude earthquake in 2017.

“Unfortunately, there are children among the dead,” Sheinbaum said, without specifying the number. For hours, rescuers searched a vehicle hanging from the overpass for someone stuck inside. However, due to safety issues for those operating around the precariously hanging driver, those attempts were put on hold early Tuesday. To help shore things up, a crane was brought in. “We have no idea whether they are alive,” Sheinbaum said of the people who might have been stuck inside the subway car.

A motorist had been rescued alive from a vehicle stuck on the pavement below, according to the mayor.

The overpass in the southside borough of Tlahuac was about 5 metres over the lane, but the train ran over a concrete median strip, which seemed to reduce the number of injuries for vehicles on the road below. Hundreds of police officers and firefighters surrounded the area, as worried families and friends of those suspected to be on the trains clustered outside the security perimeter.

 

The crash occurred on Line 12 of the metro, which has been plagued with concerns and allegations of irregularities since its construction. After its inception half a century ago, the Mexico City Metro, one of the world’s oldest and busiest, has had many incidents. A fire destroyed the network’s control facilities earlier this year, killing one person and injuring 29 others. A collision between two trains at the Tacubaya station in March of last year killed one passenger and wounded 41 others. A late-arriving train collided with another at the Oceania station in 2015, injuring 12 passengers.

According to officials, an overpass in Mexico City’s metro collapsed Monday night, sending a train plunging downward, crushing cars under debris and killing at least 13 people. The civil defence department in Mexico City tweeted that the crash in the south of the capital, which occurred at 10:30 p.m. local time, wounded nearly 70 people. Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum of Mexico City raced to the scene. Hundreds of rescuers searched through the wreckage of the fallen overpass in the footage, which revealed at least one broken train. Cars could be seen stuck under the surface. The crash occurred on Line 12 of the metro, which has been plagued with concerns and allegations of irregularities since its construction.

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