at least 20 dead and 70 injured

A section of the structure of line 12 of the Mexico City metro that passed on an avenue Collapsed on the night of this Monday and left on sale at least 20 dead and 70 injured, of whom 34 were hospitalized.

The accident happened shortly before 10:30 p.m. in the south-east of the capital, between the Olivos and Tezonco stations.

In the area, which was immediately filled with ambulances, rescuers and people desperate to find their loved ones, it was possible to observe at least a totally divided wagon and dozens of rescue forces helping everyone on the train to get out.

As Claudia Sheinbaum, head of government of Mexico, explains, a clear beam was beaten when a transit formation passed and a car was trapped under the rubble. The structure was about five meters high above the avenue.

Rescue tasks have been temporarily interrupted at midnight because the suspended wagon was “very weak” and a crane had to arrive to secure it before work could continue.

Meanwhile, Sheinbaum indicated that there were still several people inside the wagon and warned that we do not know if they are alive.

For now, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador did not make a statement about the tragedy.

Security forces from all levels of government, including the military, collaborated in the rescue operation while the city government set up a command center to brief families.

“What happened today in the metro is a terrible tragedy ‘Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard, former mayor of the city between 2006 and 2012, wrote on his official Twitter account.

And he added: “My solidarity with the victims and their families. Of course, we must investigate the causes and define the responsibilities. I reiterate myself at the full disposal of the authorities to contribute whatever is necessary.”

Meanwhile, a witness to the tragedy recounted in a dialogue with local television station Televisa that he saw how “the structure was shaking” and that “after a minute the metro fell and a lot of dust washed over. started to climb “.

“When the dust cleared, we ran to see if we could help. There was no screaming, I don’t know if they were in shock. Some people made it in and took out about two people who were at the top. The others were stacked, ”he continued.

Mexico City’s metro, one of the largest and busiest in the world, has seen at least three serious accidents since it opened half a century ago.

In March last year, a collision between two trains at Tacubaya station left one passenger dead and injured 41 people.

In 2015, a train that did not stop on time crashed into another at Oceania station, injuring 12 people, in what authorities described after “double human error”.

The most serious accident was a crash at the Viaducto station in 1975: there were 31 dead and more than 70 injured, according to the newspaper El Universal.

Line 12

Line 12 of the Mexico City metro has 20 stations and its sources with Mixcoac and Tiáhuac. It was inaugurated on October 30, 2012 with a total of 12,660 kilometers traveled.

The Olivos station, where the tragedy occurred, is number 16 of the “Golden Line” and is located on Tláhuac Avenue, between Cerrada del Pino and Calle del Panal, Colonia Ampliación Los Olivos.

The icon of the resort is an olive branch, because during the colonial years the region was distinguished by its production of olive oil on large estates.

With AP information.

DB