Overpass collapse kills dozens in Mexico
A rail overpass collapsed in Mexico City on 3 May, sending a train crashing down onto cars below, killing at least 24 people and injuring many more
The tragic accident, which is being called the deadliest incident in decades in the busy metro’s system, occurred at 10 p.m. local time on Monday 3 May. Children are among the 24 people that have died, while at least 79 people were injured by the incident, and seven are in a serious condition.
Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum told reporters that a support beam had given way just as the train had passed over it, causing the fatal accident.
Metro line 12 to be investigated
The metro 12 line is not the oldest of the city’s metro lines, which have been through at least two major earthquakes in the past 35 years. Line 12 was completed as recently as October 2012, BBC news reports.
“What happened today with the Metro is a terrible tragedy. My solidarity with the victims and their families,” Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard, who was the was the mayor of Mexico City when the metro’s 12 line was built, said on Twitter. “Of course, the causes must be investigated, and responsibilities defined. I reiterate I am at the disposal of authorities to help in whatever is necessary.”
The Mexico City Metro line is to remain closed while a structural survey is carried out.
In April 2021, a train crashed in a tunnel in Taiwan, killing over 40 people and injuring around 200 that were travelling for the long April holiday weekend.