Mexico City authorities have begun rescue operations after a subway train overpass collapsed onto cars on the road below it.
At least 13 people have been declared dead, and an estimated 70 said to be injured.
The overpass collapsed on Monday night, with several cars from the passenger train suspended in mid-air. The position of the train makes rescue operations risky and a crane had to be brought in to assist.
There are still passengers on board the train and authorities are at this stage unsure if they are still alive.
Marcelo Ebrard, Mexico’s foreign minister, called the crash a “terrible tragedy” in a Twitter post late Monday. “Of course, the causes should be investigated and the responsibilities for it defined.”
Update on #MetroCDMX:
At least 13 people were killed when an overpass in Mexico City’s metro collapsed Monday night, sending a train plunging downward onto a road, trapping cars under rubble.pic.twitter.com/GVbX2FKgMX— The Modern Times of Long Beach 🌎 (@ModernTimesLB) May 4, 2021
It is believed a car is trapped under the rubble and emergency workers are searching for survivors.
Mexico City’s mayor, Claudia Sheinbaum, said that a support beam had given way, causing the overpass to collapse. She said that “firefighters, public safety personnel are working. Various hospitals attending. We will give more information shortly.”
More than thirty people have been sent to the hospital.
The metro rail system in Mexico has had two serious accidents since its inauguration half a century ago.
