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Mexico declares three-day national morning after deadly subway accident

Trade union warned that more disasters of this kind may follow

© AP Photo/Marco Ugarte

MEXICO CITY, May 5. /TASS/. A three-day nationwide mourning was declared in Mexico following a deadly subway accident in the country’s capital, according to President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador’s decree.

"A three-day nationwide mourning is declared due to the May 3 tragedy on Line 12 <…> of the Mexico City subway," reads the decree, published by the Mexican government’s official daily, Diario Oficial de la Federation late on Tuesday.

Trade union's warning

The subway system of Mexico City may face more disasters similar to Monday’s deadly collapse of a metro overpass in the south of the Mexican capital, the secretary general of Mexico’s trade union of subway workers Homero Zavala told reporters on Tuesdy.

"A tragedy may occur, maybe even bigger than the one that took place on Monday," the Televisa TV channel quoted him as saying.

According to Zavala, certain structural elements at lines B, 5 and 9 are already totally worn out.

"The capital’s authorities must realize that the entire system is under threat at present," he said.

The official went on to say that about 8,000 members of the trade union may go on strike soon, demanding resignation of Florencio Serrania, the director of the Mexico City metro.

Serrania said earlier on Tuesday that the collapsed overpass was fully inspected in 2019 and underwent an additional check in 2020, with no serious flaws found.

A rail overpass carrying a train collapsed near the Olivos station in the capital’s south on Monday at 22:25 local time (06:25 on Tuesday Moscow time). As a result, two train cars plummeted about 10 meters.

According to latest reports, the tragedy claimed the lives of 24 people, including three patients who succumbed to their injuries in hospital. At least 79 passengers were injured, 27 of them still remain under medical supervision.

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