Mexico

Fifteen people were killed and 70 hurt when an overpass carrying Mexico City metro train cars partially collapsed on to a road on Monday night, authorities said.

A dramatic video on local channel Milenio TV shows the overpass of the metro’s 12 line collapsing on top of cars on a road below.

Videos on television and social media showed emergency medical crews and firefighters combing through the wreckage looking for survivors.

Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum said 15 people were killed and that a car was trapped under the rubble.

Sheinbaum said on Twitter “unfortunately there are dead and injured people. I am on site supporting the installation of the command center.”

The city’s Comprehensive Risk Management and Civil Protection Agency initially put the toll at 13 and 70 people injured.

The metro’s 12 line was built when Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard was mayor of Mexico City.

“What happened today with the Metro is a terrible tragedy. My solidarity with the victims and their families,” Ebrard said on Twitter.

“Of course, the causes must be investigated and responsibilities defined. I reiterate I am at the disposal of authorities to help in whatever is necessary.”

Rescue workers gather at the site of a metro train accident after an overpass for a metro partially collapsed in Mexico City on May 3, 2021. At least 13 people were killed and dozens injured in a metro train accident in the Mexican capital on May 3, the authorities said. AFP/VNA Photo

MEXICO CITY An elevated metro line collapsed in the Mexican capital on Monday, leaving at least 15 people dead and dozens injured as a passing train came crashing down, authorities said.

Security camera footage broadcast by local media showed the carriages plunging towards the ground in the south of the city.

“So far we have 15 people who unfortunately lost their lives,” Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum told reporters at the scene.

The city’s civil defense department said on Twitter that around 70 others were injured in the dramatic accident.

Dozens of emergency workers were seen trying to rescue victims from the carriages.

But the work later had to be suspended because of fears the wreckage was too unstable.

“For now the rescue has been suspended because the train is very weak. A crane is coming to continue” the work, Sheinbaum said.

Part of the train was hanging from the tracks in a tangle of twisted cables with the front ends of two carriages pointing towards the ground in a V-shape.

A car was trapped under the rubble, but it was unknown if there were people Inside.

“Suddenly I saw that the structure was shaking,” an unidentified witness told the Mexican television network Televisa.

“When the dust cleared we ran… to see if we could help. There were no screams. I don’t know if they were in shock,” she added.

Medics were seen taking the injured away on stretchers.

The casualties were rushed to different hospitals in the city, Sheinbaum said.

The accident occurred when a section of the elevated tracks collapsed at the Olivos station at around 10pm, she said.

The Mexico City subway has 12 lines and carries millions of passengers each day.

Monday’s accident comes just over a year after two subway trains collided in Mexico City, leaving one dead and around 40 injured as panicked passengers escaped through dense smoke.

Social media footage showed panic at the scene of that accident in the city center as lights went out, the ventilation system was interrupted and the station filled with smoke.

In another incident in January of this year, one person died and 29 suffered smoke inhalation injuries in a fire in the metro’s control center.

The latest accident comes at a time when Mexico is struggling to cope with the coronavirus pandemic, which has left more than 217,000 people dead in the country — one of the world’s highest tolls. AFP

Trade ministers from the three nations are set to meet virtually on Monday and Tuesday to discuss the US-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) deal, which took effect in July 2020.

“The ministers will receive updates about work already underway to advance cooperation … and will hold robust discussions about USMCA’s landmark labor and environmental obligations,” the office of US Trade Representative Katherine Tai said in a statement.

The United States is also reviewing tariffs which may be leading to inflation in the country, economic adviser Cecilia Rouse told reporters at the White House on Friday, a move that could affect hundreds of billions of dollars in trade.

The United States, testing provisions in the new deal aimed at strengthening Mexican unions, this week asked Mexico to investigate alleged abuses at a General Motors Co factory.

Opportunities

After two years of implementing the CPTPP, Vietnamese businesses have been provided with opportunities to promote exports to new markets, especially the Latin America. The 2018 CPTPP includes three Latin American countries – Mexico, Peru and Chile, committing them to cut high tariff rates for Vietnamese goods as soon as the trade pact comes into effect, with Chile at 95 percent, Peru at 80 percent and Mexico at 77 percent. In the first quarter of the year, Vietnam’s exports to Mexico, Chile and Peru reached US$931 million, US$321 million, and US$134 million, respectively, recording increases of 17 percent, 12 percent, and 35 percent.

Mexico is a potential market for Vietnamese exports with a population of 127 million and a gross domestic product (GDP) per capita of US$9,946 and is also a gateway for Vietnamese products to the Latin American market. Mexico is also a member of two major trade agreements – the Pacific Alliance and the North American Free Trade Agreement, offering opportunities for Vietnamese firms that make good use of economic linkages and trade incentives.

Vietnamese Trade Counselor in Mexico Luu Van Khang said large American companies have representative offices in Mexico, which Vietnamese businesses can contact to promote trade connections.

Phan Thi Thanh Xuan, deputy chair of the Vietnam Leather, Footwear and Handbag Association, said the CPTPP has yielded positive results for the leather and footwear sector, such as an increased local content rate and an increased proportion of leather and footwear exports to CPTPP member countries. In particular, Vietnam’s leather and footwear exports to the two countries that have ratified the CPTPP in the Americas – Canada and Mexico – have grown strongly. Instead of exporting to a third country and re-exporting to Mexico and Canada, Vietnam’s leather and footwear products can now be shipped directly to the two countries, Xuan said. Most leather and footwear products are destined for export, so Vietnam’s participation in free trade agreements offers great opportunities to expand export markets, strengthen investment attraction and increase production capacity.

Making better use of the pact

According to the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), Vietnamese exports have only taken advantage of four percent of the CPTPP’s opportunities since its signing in 2018. Most Vietnamese businesses have heard of the trade pact but do not understand it clearly. In addition, they are struggling to meet the CPTPP rules of origin.

Luu Van Khang said that in order to take advantage of opportunities offered by the CPTPP, Vietnamese businesses must develop distribution channels in the Americas.

Nguyen Cam Trang, deputy director of the Agency of Foreign Trade under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, said Vietnamese businesses need to be active in obtaining up-to-date information, change their thinking and improve the competitiveness of their products.

Thu Thuy