MEXICO CITY, Jan 31, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - Mexico City authorities on Tuesday reopened an elevated section of metro line that collapsed in 2021, an accident that left 26 people dead and dozens injured.

It was the worst in a series of incidents that shook public confidence in a transport system used daily by millions of people in the congested megacity.

The affected line was fully reopened "after professional and technical work that shows the scope of Mexican engineering," said the mayor of Mexico's capital, Marti Batres.

"Line 12 is a reinforced line," he added.

The underground section of the line had already been reopened last year.

An investigation by Norwegian engineering company DNV, hired by city hall, concluded that the accident was caused by structural flaws including problems with beams and bolts.

According to leaks of DNV's final report, which was not published, experts also pointed to a lack of maintenance as one of the reasons for the collapse.

Then-mayor Claudia Sheinbaum, now considered the frontrunner in presidential elections due to be held in June, criticized that report as "badly done" and "used for political purposes."

The company of Mexican magnate Carlos Slim, whose firm built most of the damaged section, agreed to compensate the victims of the crash.