SAEDNEWS: Mexican authorities reported on Sunday that at least 13 people died after an Interoceanic Train carrying 250 passengers derailed in the southern state of Oaxaca.
The Mexican Navy reported that a train derailed near the town of Nizanda, carrying nine crew members and 241 passengers, according to Reuters.
Of those on board, 139 were reported to be out of danger, while 98 sustained injuries, including 36 who required medical attention.
President Claudia Sheinbaum wrote on X that five of the injured were in critical condition and confirmed that senior officials had been sent to the scene to support the families of the deceased.
Oaxaca Governor Salomon Jara Cruz offered condolences to the victims’ families and said state authorities were coordinating with federal agencies to aid those affected.
Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office has already launched an investigation into the incident, Attorney General Ernestina Godoy Ramos announced on social media.
The Interoceanic Train, inaugurated in 2023 under former President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, is part of the broader Interoceanic Corridor project. The initiative aims to modernize the rail link across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, connecting the Pacific port of Salina Cruz with Coatzacoalcos on the Gulf Coast.
The Mexican government has been developing the isthmus as a strategic trade corridor, expanding ports, railways, and industrial infrastructure with the goal of creating a route capable of competing with the Panama Canal.
The train service also supports a larger effort to expand passenger and freight rail in southern Mexico and boost economic development in the region.
