Wednesday, September 17, 2025

Elevated section of Mexico City metro collapses; 23 dead, 70 injured

At least 23 people died and 70 were injured when an elevated section of the Mexico City metro collapsed on to a road below, leaving the train split in two and hanging precariously.

The accident, which happened late on Monday, came after reports that a car had crashed into a pillar supporting the rail bridge. Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum, addressing reporters at the scene in a hard hat, said a support beam had given way.

Videos shared on social media captured the moment when the line collapsed, crashing on to a busy road below. Sheinbaum said at least one car was trapped under the train.

Rescue workers were at the scene, searching for survivors or trapped passengers. Forty-nine people were taken to hospital.

The accident happened on Line 12, the newest metro line, in the south of the capital. The line was built when Marcelo Ebrard, now the foreign minister and considered a leading contender to succeed President López Obrador, was mayor of the city.

On Twitter, Ebrard promised his full assistance in the investigation of the “terrible tragedy.”

Line 12 was partially closed in 2014-2015 to repair what the authorities described at the time as structural faults. Four stations were also shut after a major earthquake struck the capital in 2017.

One survivor told Foro TV that he felt the train “brake suddenly and we were all pulled in the other direction. My cell phone flew out of my hand . . . I saw people who had fainted and were unconscious.”

© 2021 The Financial Times Ltd. All rights reserved. Please do not copy and paste FT articles and redistribute by email or post to the web.

Have something to say? Paid Subscribers get all access to make & read comments.
Fonatur glorieta in Los Cabos

MND Local: Major infrastructure projects reflect growing pains in Los Cabos

0
New airport facilities and new highways are on the way in Los Cabos, as our local news roundup takes a look at what's happening in Baja California Sur.
mural honoring Alicia Matías

A mural at explosion site in CDMX honors Alicia Matías, who died saving her granddaughter

1
The 49-year-old heroine's death has been met with an outpouring of admiration while the nation mourns the 15 victims of last week's gas tanker explosion.
Sheinbaum waving the Mexican flag from the National Palace during the annual Grito de Independencia

In first ‘Grito’ as president, Sheinbaum honors Mexico’s heroines of Independence

12
Josefa Ortiz Téllez Girón, Leona Vicario, Gertrudis Bocanegra and Manuela Molina were all included in Sheinbaum's first presidential Grito, or Cry of Independence.
BETA Version - Powered by Perplexity