A total of 500 meters of cables were stolen in the city of São Paulo, Brazil, causing a subway failure and signal lights to fail

From October 25 to 26, cable theft occurred in São Paulo, Brazil, with a total length of about 500 meters. Cable theft disrupted the lives of citizens of São Paulo, shutting down a subway line, halting work at more than a dozen traffic lights, and even shutting down a school.

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According to a comprehensive report by The Brazilian National News Agency and the Brazilian website "G1", the cable theft near the subway station occurred before the start of the subway operation. The police learned that at 1:25 a.m. on the 26th, a power outage alarm was triggered between the Tatuapé station and the Vila Matilde station of the red line of the metro, and shortly before 4 a.m., the alarm sounded again, this time between Penha station and Carrão station. An employee of the subway company conducted an inspection but found no problems. Shortly after, at 4:14 a.m., a fault signal appeared between tatuapé and Belém stations. This time, the burglars managed to steal a 30-meter-long cable from the power supply system near the Tatuapé station.

It is reported that the red line 3 connects the east district of the city and the city center, and the fault problem even affects the blue line 1 that connects the north and south districts. The restoration work began at 5 a.m. and ended around 9 a.m., during rush hour, affecting the travel of a large number of passengers.

To alleviate the problem, the metro company advanced metro and train transfers between Tatuapé station and Corinthians-Itaquera station. At these stations, transfers are usually only possible after 10 o'clock.

In addition, the thieves stole 452 meters of cables from the city's streets, causing traffic lights to stop working at 11 intersections in the North, East and Central districts.

The José Amadei Municipal School in the Southern District was also closed for cable theft, with thieves stealing the wires between poles and the school building, costing 800 students.

The Metropolitan Transport Authority (STM) of the State of São Paulo said that after this incident, it would improve the safety of the Tatuapé metro station. Director Paulo Galli said the boundary wall at Tatuapé station would be raised and "with this, we believe it will reduce the risk of theft a little".

The state's Department of Public Safety (SSP) said it seized more than 30 tons of stolen cables this year, arrested 41 suspects involved in cable thefts and added police to combat such crimes. Director João Camilo Pires de Campos said: "[We] have added about 2,900 new civilian police. We've hired people who have already passed the review but haven't been appointed yet, and we're starting new recruitments. (Original title: São Paulo, Brazil, 500 meters of cable theft within 24 hours, caused subway failure, signal lights failure)