Mexico City looks into cause of deadly bridge failure

A crane lowered a wrecked train car to the ground on Tuesday with the bodies of victims of a bridge collapse still inside it. A metro overpass in Mexico City fell apart onto traffic on Monday, leaving at least 24 dead and 79 injured. Family members and friends gathered at the police perimeter, begging for news about the motorists and passengers.

What caused the collapse? Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum said a concrete beam broke as the train passed over at about 10:30 p.m. on Monday. She said an expert investigation would determine the cause of the beam’s failure. The incident occurred on the metro’s newest line, which opened in 2012. The line was partially closed for repairs the next year. Mexican Foreign Relations Secretary Marcelo Ebrard was mayor at that time, and allegations of poor design and construction quickly surfaced after he left office.

Dig deeper: From the WORLD archives, read Onize Ohikere’s report on another deadly bridge collapse in Italy in 2018.