Mexico begins the search for responsibilities.
President Andrés Manuel López Obrador pledged, Tuesday, May 4, that all light be shed on the collapse of a skytrain bridge that occurred the night before in the capital, which left at least 25 dead and some 80 injured.
"There will be a thorough investigation, without regard of any kind, to seek to know the truth (...), from which responsibility will be established", declared the head of state at a press conference , adding that the investigation was entrusted to the federal prosecutor's office and that of Mexico City, and that it will receive the support of independent international experts. Mexico City Prosecutor's Office announced investigation will focus on crimes of manslaughter and property damage
While the emergency services were still looking for the bodies of the victims trapped in the metro, all eyes were on the current Minister of Foreign Affairs, Marcelo Ebrard, who was mayor of the city at the time of the inauguration on the 30th. October 2012, from this "cursed" line.
"Let him come here and see what he left us. He's the one in charge," a woman yelled in front of the cameras on the spot, making accusations of corruption against him.
Marcelo Ebrard, present at the press conference, spoke of a "sad day for all".
The minister and potential candidate for the presidential election of 2024, declared to put himself "at the entire disposal of the authorities".
The accident occurred on the night of Monday to Tuesday near Olivos station, after the collapse of a 12-meter-high bridge which caused a metro train to plunge into the void.
Security cameras recorded the massive structure suddenly falling into a cloud of dust.
Neighbors in the area rushed to help survivors, before being replaced by dozens of firefighters and rescuers.
The entire area was cordoned off by the police and the army, who set up a security perimeter.
Cranes went into action to lift the concrete and metal blocks, and thus free the possible survivors.
Negligence charge
The accident, one of the worst to hit Mexico City's metro, raises questions about the construction and maintenance standards of a network that is used by around 4.5 million passengers daily.
The local press spoke of the controversies that arose during the construction of this line of approximately 25 km which crosses the south of the capital, as well as its recurring operational problems.
Line 12 is one of the two lines of the Mexican metro that does not run on tires, but on traditional railway tracks. Since the start of operations, wear of the rails and wheels of the trains had been detected, which had forced, in March 2014, the successor of Marcelo Ebrard to suspend the service in 12 stations. A study then concluded that there were problems with the design, operation and maintenance of the tracks.
Fernando Espino, leader of the metro workers' union, told Milenio TV station that engineers had already repeatedly reported failures.
"It may be negligence, that they did not take it seriously," he added, noting that unlike other metro lines, line 12 is maintained. by an external company.
The current mayor of Mexico City, Claudia Sheinbaum, assured that maintenance work was carried out "every day" on the various lines.
This is the second metro accident since the start of the year.
In January, a fire damaged the network's control facilities, killing one and injuring 29.
The government has declared three days of national mourning, from May 4 to 6.
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