Hundreds of protesters gathered in Mexico's capital on Friday demanding justice for the people killed when an elevated metro line with a history of problems came crashing down.
© CLAUDIO CRUZ People light candles and place flowers at the site of a Mexico City metro rail accident that left 26 dead and sparked calls for justice
The death toll climbed to 26 on Friday after a woman hospitalized with injuries from the accident died. "Our deepest condolences," Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum tweeted, adding that officials will continue to monitor the rest of the injured.
The death toll climbed to 26 on Friday after a woman hospitalized with injuries from the accident died. "Our deepest condolences," Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum tweeted, adding that officials will continue to monitor the rest of the injured.
© CLAUDIO CRUZ Rescue workers use cranes to remove the wreckage of a metro train that fell as an overpass collapsed in Mexico City
At the site of the accident, demonstrators who had set off from various parts of Mexico City converged and paid tribute to the victims with candles and flowers.
"I'm here in solidarity with all the people who died. They no longer have a voice," said Briseida Noguez, a local resident.
"What happened is due to negligence, due to corruption," she told AFP.
Some minor scuffles broke out with the police who tried at times to prevent the protesters from approaching the scene of the tragedy.
But in the end, the police made way for the demonstrators who approached the place where the overpass collapsed on Monday night, sending two carriages and their passengers plunging down.
Demonstrators shouted "justice!" and "present" as the names of the victims were readout.
"It's a disgrace for society, for our community. I hope that all the people rest in peace and hopefully receive justice," said 21-year-old Erick Medina.
The protesters carried banners blaming left-wing politicians, who have run the capital since 1997. THEY ARE NOT LEFT WING THEY ARE NEOLIBERAL SOCIAL DEMOCRATS
At the site of the accident, demonstrators who had set off from various parts of Mexico City converged and paid tribute to the victims with candles and flowers.
"I'm here in solidarity with all the people who died. They no longer have a voice," said Briseida Noguez, a local resident.
"What happened is due to negligence, due to corruption," she told AFP.
Some minor scuffles broke out with the police who tried at times to prevent the protesters from approaching the scene of the tragedy.
But in the end, the police made way for the demonstrators who approached the place where the overpass collapsed on Monday night, sending two carriages and their passengers plunging down.
Demonstrators shouted "justice!" and "present" as the names of the victims were readout.
"It's a disgrace for society, for our community. I hope that all the people rest in peace and hopefully receive justice," said 21-year-old Erick Medina.
The protesters carried banners blaming left-wing politicians, who have run the capital since 1997. THEY ARE NOT LEFT WING THEY ARE NEOLIBERAL SOCIAL DEMOCRATS
The metro line which partially collapsed, the city's newest, has been plagued by a series of problems since it was inaugurated in 2012.
Norwegian engineering company DNV has been asked to help prosecutors with the investigation into the disaster, which has prompted accusations of negligence and demands for justice from devastated relatives.
The furor has engulfed two of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's political proteges and leading contenders to be his left-wing party's candidate in the 2024 presidential elections.
One of them, Mexico City Mayor Sheinbaum, faces questions about whether the network has been properly maintained since she took office in 2018.
The other, Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard, oversaw the development and inauguration of the line involved in the crash in his former position as Mexico City mayor.
Lopez Obrador has promised an in-depth investigation to uncover the truth behind the accident, while urging people not to speculate about who is to blame.
Defects, damage suspected in Mexico metro disaster
The collapse of a Mexico City metro overpass that left 26 people dead could have been caused by defects in the steel beams or damage to the joints, experts told AFP.
The collapse of a Mexico City metro overpass that left 26 people dead could have been caused by defects in the steel beams or damage to the joints, experts told AFP.
© CLAUDIO CRUZ Rescue workers use cranes to remove the wreckage of a metro train that fell as an overpass collapsed in Mexico City
The capital's mayor, Claudia Sheinbaum, said after Monday's accident, which also left 80 injured, that a beam holding up the section of elevated track had given way.
Norwegian engineering company DNV has been asked to help prosecutors with the investigation into the disaster, which has prompted accusations of negligence and demands for justice from devastated relatives.
The capital's mayor, Claudia Sheinbaum, said after Monday's accident, which also left 80 injured, that a beam holding up the section of elevated track had given way.
Norwegian engineering company DNV has been asked to help prosecutors with the investigation into the disaster, which has prompted accusations of negligence and demands for justice from devastated relatives.
© PEDRO PARDO Relatives mourn Juan Luis Diaz, one of the 25 victims of Mexico City's metro disaster
Sergio Alcocer, a researcher at the engineering faculty of the National Autonomous University of Mexico, said that the collapse "may be due to a defect in the steel" used to make the beams.
Like other experts, he based his initial suspicions on a police video showing the moment when an elevated part of metro line 12 collapsed, sending two carriages plunging towards the ground.
Juan Manuel Fuentes, technical director of Mexican structural engineering firm Quasar, said that "the deafening vibration" on some of the sections of the line also could have caused the overpass's joints to weaken.
Sergio Alcocer, a researcher at the engineering faculty of the National Autonomous University of Mexico, said that the collapse "may be due to a defect in the steel" used to make the beams.
Like other experts, he based his initial suspicions on a police video showing the moment when an elevated part of metro line 12 collapsed, sending two carriages plunging towards the ground.
Juan Manuel Fuentes, technical director of Mexican structural engineering firm Quasar, said that "the deafening vibration" on some of the sections of the line also could have caused the overpass's joints to weaken.
© CLAUDIO CRUZ 'It was not an accident, it was negligence' reads the sign at the site of the metro line crash in Mexico City
According to a senior Mexico City official, Jesus Antonio Estevas, "it is clear that there was a failure in the metal structures" of the section of elevated track that came crashing down.
- 'Golden Line' -
Line 12, also known as the Golden Line, is 24.5 kilometers (15 miles) long and was built at a cost of around $1.2 billion -- 70 percent more than originally planned.
It was inaugurated in 2012 by then-mayor Marcelo Ebrard -- now foreign minister -- who, along with Sheinbaum, is at the center of the political furor unleashed by the tragedy.
In 2014, operations were suspended along 12 stations of the line for just over a year due to a deterioration in the track, rail fastenings and railroad ties, also known as sleepers.
The same year, the Mexico City authorities hired the French engineering company Systra to determine the causes and recommend measures to solve the issue.
Systra found that there was "a problem with the contact between the rails and the wheels," Tatiana Graffeuil told AFP on behalf of the firm.
The company recommended work to repair the rail tracks, which it monitored, but its involvement was not related to the structure of the overpass, she added.
- Poorly designed? -
While the line was partially suspended, the fastenings, track ballast and train springs were replaced along with other measures, a former metro director told AFP on condition of anonymity.
The French company Triacaud Societe Organise (TSO) also carried out another assessment in 2014.
Since then, TSO has been in charge of maintaining the rails, ballasts and switches, a source close to the firm told AFP.
Sheinbaum, facing questions about whether the section was properly maintained, said after the crash that "every day a maintenance process is carried out on line 12 at different points."
Alcocer, the engineering expert, said that the video of the collapse clearly shows that "as the train passes the beam breaks, which indicates a type of failure that occurs in metal components and may be due to a defect in the steel of the plates."
It is also possible that the beams were "poorly designed or overloaded," or not properly welded together, he added.
Fuentes noted that the metal part of the beam was attached to a layer of concrete with shear bolts, which he said could have detached, in part due to vibrations from the train.
"Welding or shear bolt failures are sudden. It's almost impossible to predict" during maintenance work, he said.
jg/dr/mdl
According to a senior Mexico City official, Jesus Antonio Estevas, "it is clear that there was a failure in the metal structures" of the section of elevated track that came crashing down.
- 'Golden Line' -
Line 12, also known as the Golden Line, is 24.5 kilometers (15 miles) long and was built at a cost of around $1.2 billion -- 70 percent more than originally planned.
It was inaugurated in 2012 by then-mayor Marcelo Ebrard -- now foreign minister -- who, along with Sheinbaum, is at the center of the political furor unleashed by the tragedy.
In 2014, operations were suspended along 12 stations of the line for just over a year due to a deterioration in the track, rail fastenings and railroad ties, also known as sleepers.
The same year, the Mexico City authorities hired the French engineering company Systra to determine the causes and recommend measures to solve the issue.
Systra found that there was "a problem with the contact between the rails and the wheels," Tatiana Graffeuil told AFP on behalf of the firm.
The company recommended work to repair the rail tracks, which it monitored, but its involvement was not related to the structure of the overpass, she added.
- Poorly designed? -
While the line was partially suspended, the fastenings, track ballast and train springs were replaced along with other measures, a former metro director told AFP on condition of anonymity.
The French company Triacaud Societe Organise (TSO) also carried out another assessment in 2014.
Since then, TSO has been in charge of maintaining the rails, ballasts and switches, a source close to the firm told AFP.
Sheinbaum, facing questions about whether the section was properly maintained, said after the crash that "every day a maintenance process is carried out on line 12 at different points."
Alcocer, the engineering expert, said that the video of the collapse clearly shows that "as the train passes the beam breaks, which indicates a type of failure that occurs in metal components and may be due to a defect in the steel of the plates."
It is also possible that the beams were "poorly designed or overloaded," or not properly welded together, he added.
Fuentes noted that the metal part of the beam was attached to a layer of concrete with shear bolts, which he said could have detached, in part due to vibrations from the train.
"Welding or shear bolt failures are sudden. It's almost impossible to predict" during maintenance work, he said.
jg/dr/mdl
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