May 4 (UPI) — At least 23 people were killed and dozens more were injured in Mexico City on Monday night when an overpass collapsed causing a subway train to plummet to the ground, officials said.
Mexico’s civil protection agency said the derailment occurred on Line 12 near Olivos Station in southeast Mexico City where emergency teams had arrived and were asking people to stay clear as they attempted to dig survivors and bodies from the rubble.
Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum announced the death toll early Tuesday via Twitter, stating a structural review of the entire line and an in-depth investigation into the causes of the derailment would now begin.
“We will report with all the truth,” she said. “Our support to all victims.”
The civil protection agency earlier upgraded the death toll to 20 from 15, while stating 49 people had been transferred to several local hospitals. All people had been extracted from the rubble, it said.
The government said preliminary numbers show around 70 people were injured. Officials have since identified those hospitalized, some of whom are minors as young as 15.
“We regret the loss of life,” Sheinbaum tweeted after having rushed to the site.
She said a support beam failed, causing the train riding above to fall as the overpass collapsed.
The city’s attorney general’s office said experts in photography, criminology, land traffic and other areas had also arrived at the scene.
Mexico’s foreign minister Marcelo Ebrard called it a “terrible tragedy.”
“Of course, causes must be investigated and responsibilities defined,” he tweeted. “I reiterate myself at the entire disposal of the authorities to contribute in whatever is necessary.”
The civil protection agency said rescue work was still underway early Tuesday with some 450 police officers and 90 paramedics at the scene.
