Mexico City — Mexico punishes responsible for the collapse of elevated roads, killing at least 24 people and injuring dozens when a train on Mexico City’s latest subway line plunges into a congested road below. Said the government on Tuesday.
President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, with officials involved in the construction and maintenance of the elevated subway that collapsed on Monday night, should be investigated promptly and nothing should be hidden from the public. Said not.
“There is no exemption for anyone,” he said at a press conference. The city has been governed by former Mayor Lopez Obrador and his allies since the turn of the century.
The crash raised broader questions about safety in one of the world’s busiest subway systems, carrying millions of people daily throughout the capital sprawl phenomenon.
Firefighters, using heavy chains to stabilize the scene, pulled the bodies and survivors away from the wreckage before dropping a hanging carriage onto the truck in the afternoon. About 79 people were injured, including three children, officials said.
A social media video showed the moment when an elevated car suddenly plunged into a stream of cars near Orivos Station in the southeastern part of the city at around 10:30 pm, creating a cloud of dust and sparks.
The 26-year-old Monserato said she was behind the train wagon when she heard a loud noise and the lights went out.
“Everyone screamed and we fell on each other,” she told Mexican radio.
Outside the hospital, the family was frustrated waiting for information about their relatives.
Angelica Cruz Camino, 31, said her husband hadn’t contacted her because she was on her way home from work late Monday. She visited several hospitals and was told that all victims had been identified, but had not yet found him by Tuesday afternoon.
“I called, but he didn’t answer me, and it was my son who noticed that the metro had collapsed,” she said outside the Trauak Public Hospital. .. “My husband cannot be found.”
Supports shaking
The collapsed elevated was part of Linea 12, the addition to the network was completed within 10 years, and it had long been plagued by allegations of corruption and structural weakness.
In 2014, just two years after its opening, several stations were closed to repair structures.
Four people living in the area told Reuters that they had observed the support structure under the elevated railroad tracks visibly sway as the trains crossed. Some have recalled the warning that moist soil is not suitable for large-scale construction.
After the 2017 earthquake, government data also showed damage to the columns of the line.
“Every time I saw the train, I saw the pillars and beams sway,” said Victor Lara, who commute to work every day. “They are not well done.”
The investigation will be conducted by the Federal Attorney General’s Office, Mexico City’s counterparts, and an external auditor, DNVGL of Norway, officials said.
Vice President Kamala Harris of the United States and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada expressed their condolences to the family and friends of the victims of the accident, and Lopez Obrador declared a three-day memorial service.
Lopez Obrador was mayor of the early 2000s, and the current mayor of Claudia Sheinbaum and Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebral, who ran the city when Linea 12 was built, are both senior members of his political movement.
Linea 12 was built by a company managed by the CARSO Infraestructura y Construccion, the SAB de CV (CCICSA) consortium, the family of Mexican tycoon Carlos Slim, the Mexican Grupo ICA, and the Mexican unit of Alstom SA in France.
The ICA shared the chart with Reuters, demonstrating that CCICSA was responsible for the construction of the section of the collapsed line, but declined further comments.
A CCICSA spokesman did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the charts, but said in a previous statement to Reuters that the company was in solidarity with the victims’ families and injured. “We will wait for the opinion of official experts,” said CCICSA.
Alstom said his involvement in the consortium was limited to certain aspects, such as testing power supplies and some electromechanical work. The company said it would support law enforcement agencies “in the necessary way.”
Shane Baum said the girder seemed to give way on the elevated she said was inspected last year. At a later press conference, she said the collapse seemed to indicate a “structural failure.”
“I can’t say for sure, but it seems like this has happened,” Shainbaum said.
Mr Ebrard said it was the “worst” accident that hit the local transportation system and was ready to cooperate with the authorities in the investigation.
Both urged the public to allow investigators to do their jobs before trying to allocate responsibility.
By Daina Beth Solomon and Sharay Angulo