An elevated section of metro track in Mexico City partially collapsed on Monday night, bringing down rubble and some train carriages onto the road below. At least 23 people died in the incident and 70 more were injured. Of the injured, 49 were taken to several nearby hospitals for treatment — some in serious condition. There were also children among the fatalities, the city’s mayor told reporters. Of the 24 killed, 21 died at the scene, while the others died at hospitals.
Authorities said that cars were trapped under the rubble. The elevated track was around 5 meters (16 feet) above the ground. Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum, who traveled to the scene, wrote on Twitter that “firefighters, public safety personnel are working. Various hospitals attending. We will give more information shortly.” The accident happened at 10:30 p.m. local time (3:30 a.m. Tuesday GMT/UTC). Rescue efforts were temporarily suspended until a crane was brought in. The partially hanging train was “very weak,” Sheinbaum said. People were still trapped inside, but it was not clear if they were alive. CCTV footage showed a bridge collapsing onto a busy road full of cars. The overpass was about five metres above the road in the borough of Tlahuac, but the train ran above a concrete median strip, which apparently lessened the casualties among motorists. The Mexico City Metro — which is among the world’s cheapest with tickets costing about 32 cents (US25 cents) — has had at least three serious accidents since its inauguration half a century ago.
