Mexico: train sabotaged for cement cargo

As much as 70 tonnes of cement might have been stolen yesterday after a freight train derailed in Tabasco, Mexico.

The derailment was intentional, authorities said.

At least four cars went off the tracks at 4:00am in Paloma, Macuspana. After the accident, thieves moved in to grab bags of cement. Later, authorities discovered several rail spikes had been removed from the tracks.

The train was en route from Coatzacoalcos in Veracruz to Mérida, Yucatn. No injuries were reported.

Sabotaging trains to steal cargo is nothing new, said Civil Protection operations director Jorge Méndez Landero of Macuspana. It occurs periodically, he said, perhaps four or five times a year.

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