23 dead, 79 injured in Mexico City metro COLLAPSE – mayor
Twenty three people including minors died and around 79 were injured after a portion of an overpass carrying a metro train collapsed on a busy road in a southern suburb of Mexico City on Monday night.
The number of fatalities in the rail overpass disaster has climbed to 23, Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum said, adding that some minors were among those killed. The city’s civil protection agency reported that around 79 were injured.
A short CCTV video published by Milenio TV channel shows a section of an overpass suddenly collapsing on a road packed with vehicles.
▶️ #ÚLTIMAHORA | Momento exacto del desplome del puente y caída de vagón del #MetroCdMx en Línea 12 https://t.co/ws47CNwAATpic.twitter.com/T14vDMQyAp
— Milenio (@Milenio) May 4, 2021
Photos from the site show the train cars hanging above the crumbled supports, as rescue teams try to evacuated any passengers that may have been on board.
PRECAUCIÓN: Ambulancias y bomberos en camino por accidente en la estación del metro Olivos, línea 12. 🚑⚠️🚒🚨 pic.twitter.com/UFkcB1llju
— SUUMA Voluntarios 🚑 (@SUUMA_CDMX) May 4, 2021
About two dozen ambulances attended the scene.
Preliminary reports said that the elevated rail collapsed when a vehicle struck one of the support pillars at street level. The train broke in two as it plummeted to the ground below.
#ULTIMAHORAAsí el colapso en el #MetroCDMX en la estación Olivos de la Línea 12 cuando pasaba el tren, en Tláhuac.https://t.co/1aNtU3N8P8pic.twitter.com/0bSmBDGu4Q
— @diario24horas (@diario24horas) May 4, 2021
Line 12 is the newest line of the Mexico City metro, inaugurated in 2012. It runs south-southwest of the Mexican capital, which has an estimated population of 9.2 million.
El Universal newspaper reported that locals voiced fears over the structure’s safety four years ago, when pillars on Line 12 were damaged by an earthquake. Transportation officials said in 2017 that they quickly repaired the overpass after detecting cracks and other damage.
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