The scene shook him because he had exited the metro at that same station earlier in the day. Helicopters landed at a nearby Walmart to ferry the injured to hospitals. He saw a cloud of dust and falling debris followed by an eerie silence until emergency vehicles began arriving. Julio Yañez, a 67-year-old lawyer whose apartment overlooks the collapsed metro line, was working at his computer when he heard a loud noise and felt his building shake. Authorities at the time had done patchwork repairs on the columns and horizontal beams. In October 1975, at least 26 people were killed in another accident.Ī magnitude 7.1 earthquake in 2017 exposed dangerous construction defects in the elevated line near where Monday’s accident occurred.

In 2015, a train that did not stop on time crashed into another at the Oceania station, injuring 12. In March 2020, a collision between two trains at the Tacubaya station left one passenger dead and injured 41. The Mexico City Metro - which is among the world’s cheapest with tickets costing about 25 cents -has had at least three serious accidents since its inauguration half a century ago. “Then a guy in a white shirt with blood on his arms, his hands and chest came out and another guy came to help him here on the sidewalk, and he was there trembling,” he said. The overpass was about 16 feet above the road in the borough of Tlahuac, but the train ran above a concrete median strip, which apparently lessened the casualties among motorists.Ībelardo Sánchez, a 38-year-old cook, was just closing up his sandwich shop beside the metro line when he said the ground shook, a tremendous noise echoed, lights flickered and the air filled with dust and the smell of burning wires. “I did not have any report nor alert of any problem that could have led us to this situation,” she said. She added that a Norwegian firm had been hired to investigate. Initial analysis pointed to a “presumed structural failure,” Sheinbaum said, promising a thorough and independent inquiry. He was a good father, good husband and good son.” “I’m tired and unable to sleep,” Miramar said. Pineda is survived by his wife, two children ages 7 and 13, and his mother. I reiterate I am at the disposal of authorities to help in whatever is necessary,' he added.Now they had found 38-year-old Carlos Pineda, a man he described as a soccer fan and buoyant personality. 'Of course, the causes must be investigated and responsibilities defined. My solidarity with the victims and their families,' Ebrard said. 'What happened today with the Metro is a terrible tragedy. Mexico's current Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard was mayor of the capital when Line 12 was constructed. It is the newest of the capital's 12 metro lines, opening for the first time in 2012. The accident happened on the city's Line 12, the construction of which has been the subject of numerous complaints and accusations of irregularities. The victims were stuck inside the carriage for around 15 minutes before one passenger was able to break a window to escape, the survivor explained. One survivor spoke to the Mexican newspaper El Universal, saying 'there were many people standing and sitting in the carriage and when the train came down, we went flying and hit the ceiling.' The accident occurred as the metro train was traveling between the stations of Olivos and Tezonco, in the south of the city.

Mexico city subway overpass collapse