Mexico City rail overpass collapses onto road, killing 20 people

The Metro 12 line that runs over the collapsed overpass was built almost a decade ago

Last updated: May 04, 2021 | 14:07

2 MIN READ

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Twenty people were killed, including children, and 49 were hospitalised when a railway overpass collapsed onto a busy road in Mexico City on Monday night.

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Rescue efforts for potential survivors were paused shortly after the accident, authorities said, because of the risk that more of the Metro overpass and train cars could slam down onto the road.

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Images showed at least two train carriages precariously hanging from the damaged overpass as emergency fire and medical crews initially used ladders to access the carriages.

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Mexico City fire fighters and rescue personnel work to recover victims.

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Rescuers work at a site where an overpass for a metro partially collapsed with train cars on it at Olivos station in Mexico City.

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Rescuers transport a casualty on a stretcher.

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Rescuers work at a site where an overpass for a metro partially collapsed with train cars on it.

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However, Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum said the rescue had been suspended 'because the train is very weak'. A crane was being transported to the site to stabilise the train carriages so rescuers could resume their work, she said.

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Sheinbaum said seven of the people transported to hospital were in a "grave condition" and undergoing surgery. She earlier said a total of around 70 people had been injured.

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Rescuers transport an injured person on a stretcher.

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Rescuers wheel an injured person on a stretcher.

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The Metro 12 line that runs over the collapsed overpass was built almost a decade ago when Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard was mayor of Mexico City.

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'What happened today with the Metro is a terrible tragedy. My solidarity is with the victims and their families,' Ebrard said on Twitter. 'Of course, the causes must be investigated and responsibilities defined.'

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