23 dead as elevated metro collapses in Mexico

MEXICO CITY: Emergency services on Tuesday worked to retrieve the bodies of victims from the wreckage of an elevated metro line that collapsed in the Mexican capital, leaving at least 23 dead and dozens injured.

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador promised a full investigation into Monday night’s accident, which raised questions about construction standards on a network used by millions every day.

Carriages were seen hanging from the metro overpass in the south of the capital in a tangle of twisted cables with the ends pointing towards the ground in a V-shape. Several minors were among the 23 dead, Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum told reporters.

Four of the victims were still in the train, she added. Nearly 80 others received hospital treatment following the dramatic accident, one of the worst to strike the Mexico City metro since it was inaugurated in 1969.

Earlier, anxious relatives had gathered at the site awaiting news of those believed to have been aboard the train. Efrain Juarez said that his son was in the wreckage.

"My daughter-in-law called us. She was with him and she told us the structure fell down over them," he told AFP. Another man who did not give his name said that his brother was among those trapped.