52 killed as train plunges into ravine

Press, 14 July 1982, Page 9

52 killed as train plunges into ravine

NZPA Mexico City An express train carrying about 800 passengers from areas near the American border jumped the tracks near the Pacific coast town of Tepic and plunged 27 metres into a ravine, killing at least 52 people. A' Red Cross spokesman. Manuel Morales, said that 132 people had been injured in the crash yesterday, and the death toll would probably go higher because some were in a critical condition. Rescue workers used torches to cut through the

twisted steel wreckage to free trapped victims and remove bodies. German Sanchez. the Red Cross deputy director in Tepic. said it was not certain how many victims were involved in the crash. The State-owned Pacific Railways. “La Bala" (The Bullet).’ hit a stretch of rainloosened tiles near the station of Cortes. 30km north of Tepic. The Bullet was bound from Mexicali, across the border from Calexico. California, to Guadalajara, 521 km northwest of Mexico City. A spur in Nogales, on the

Arizona border, also feeds into the main line. Tepic. the capital of Nayarit state, is 716 km northwest of Mexico City. A Nayarit district attorney, Candelario Martinez Murillo, estimated the train’s 21 first class coaches were carrying 840 passengers. It is feared that the death toll may exceed 100. Stormy weather forced rescue operations to be suspended at one stage. Renewed efforts were also hindered by a shortage of gas for the blow torches used to cut through the twisted jumble of cars.