At least 13 people were killed when an Interoceanic Train derailed in Mexico’s southern state of Oaxaca, authorities said yesterday.
The Mexican Navy said the train came off the tracks near the town of Nizanda while carrying about 250 people, including nine crew members and 241 passengers. A total of 193 passengers were reported to be safe, while 98 sustained injuries. Of those injured, 36 were receiving medical treatment.
President Claudia Sheinbaum said in a post on X that five victims were in critical condition. She added that senior government officials had been deployed to the scene to support rescue efforts and assist the families of those who died.
Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office has launched an investigation into the cause of the derailment, Attorney General Ernestina Godoy Ramos confirmed in a social media statement.
The Interoceanic Train, which began operations in 2023 under former president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, is part of the Interoceanic Corridor project. The initiative aims to modernise rail connectivity across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, linking the Pacific port of Salina Cruz with Coatzacoalcos on the Gulf of Mexico.
The corridor is central to Mexico’s strategy to transform the isthmus into a key trade and logistics hub by expanding ports, rail networks and industrial infrastructure, offering an alternative route to the Panama Canal while promoting economic development in southern Mexico.
