At least 13 people were killed and 98 injured after an interoceanic passenger train derailed in southern Mexico on Sunday, disrupting service along a key rail corridor linking the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico, officials said.
The crash occurred as the Interoceanic Train was navigating a curve near the town of Nizanda, along a route connecting the states of Oaxaca and Veracruz. Authorities said 241 passengers and nine crew members were aboard when the train left the tracks.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said the Navy informed her of the fatalities and reported that 98 people were injured, including five in serious condition. In a message posted on X, Sheinbaum said she ordered the secretary of the navy and the Interior Ministry’s undersecretary for human rights to travel to the scene to oversee assistance and support for the victims’ families.
Oaxaca Gov. Salomón Jara said emergency responders and multiple government agencies were deployed to the crash site to provide medical care and coordinate rescue efforts. He later expressed condolences to the families of those killed and said state authorities were working closely with federal officials to address the aftermath of the derailment.
Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office has opened an investigation into the cause of the accident, Attorney General Ernestina Godoy Ramos said, as questions mounted about safety conditions along the recently revived rail line.
The Interoceanic Train was inaugurated in 2023 under then-President Andrés Manuel López Obrador as part of the Interoceanic Corridor of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, an ambitious infrastructure project aimed at revitalizing southern Mexico. The initiative seeks to modernize railways and ports across the narrow land bridge separating the Pacific and Atlantic basins, creating a trade route intended to rival the Panama Canal.
The rail service runs roughly 180 miles, or 290 kilometers, between the Pacific port of Salina Cruz and Coatzacoalcos on the Gulf Coast. Beyond passenger travel, the corridor is designed to support freight transport and spur economic development through expanded industrial zones, ports and logistics hubs.
Sunday’s derailment forced a halt to traffic along the line as investigators and emergency crews worked at the scene. Officials have not yet disclosed what caused the train to leave the tracks.
AP
