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A heavy unit loaded with white paint overturned near Ecatepec, causing a massive spill and a traffic jam that lasted several hours.
WRITING
The dawn on the Circuito Exterior Mexiquense became chaotic on Friday, after a trailer loaded with white paint lost control and completely overturned on the curve joining the Periférico Norte, at kilometer 48 of the municipality of Ecatepec.
He accident It dyed the asphalt white and caused severe road chaos that paralyzed traffic for more than three hours.
The heavy unit collided with the retaining wall before overturning, spreading hundreds of liters of paint over several meters. Immediately, the area became a scene of confusion: while paramedics treated the driver, who only suffered minor injuries, dozens of curious onlookers began to approach to record and, minutes later, to loot.
“Suddenly we saw people arrive with buckets, drums and even empty bottles. They got into the puddles of paint, they slipped, but they continued collecting what they could,” said Alberto Hernández, a motorist who was trapped in traffic.
In a matter of minutes, the scene went from an accident to a collective act of rapine.
Videos spread on social networks showed men and women climbing the trailer box to open the containers that remained closed. Others knelt on the pavement, plunging their hands into the spilled paint. “This looks like an improvised market, not an accident. People have already lost respect for everything,” said Rosario Martínez, a resident of the area.
The rapine complicated the cleanup and rescue efforts. Personnel from the National Guard, Civil Protection and Road Safety had to cordon off the area to prevent the looters from continuing to extract the product. Despite the warnings, several ignored the instructions and continued stealing containers from the rubble.
The spill covered several lanes and extended congestion to roads such as Río de los Remedios and Central de Abasto, affecting hundreds of drivers who remained stranded.