A train carrying 250 people partially derailed in southern Mexico, killing at least 13 people and injuring 98 others, officials said.
Mexico's navy said an interoceanic train connecting the states of Oaxaca and Veracruz derailed on Sunday as it passed a curve near the town of Nizanda.
It said that 98 people were injured and that “sadly, 13 people died.”
At the time of the accident, there were nine crew members and 241 passengers on the train. Of those on board, 139 are reported to be out of danger, while 36 of the 98 injured are still receiving medical attention.
In a statement published on X, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said at least five of the wounded were in “serious” condition.
Sheinbaum said she had directed the Secretary of the Navy and other senior officials to go to the area and provide assistance to the families of the victims. She added that the Ministry of Internal Affairs is coordinating the response to the incident.
Mexico's attorney general's office said it was opening an investigation to determine the cause of the accident.
Mexican channel Uno Noticias Television reported that emergency services were close to the scene but were having difficulty accessing the scene.
Images circulating on social media and published by Mexican news outlets showed one of the train cars lying on its side and another completely separated from the tracks.
Translation: A passenger train has derailed. Interoceanic space on the isthmus. This Sunday, an Interoceanic passenger train derailed 5 km south of Nizanda, belonging to Asunción Ixtaltepec, Oaxaca. Injuries reported; the train departed from Salina Cruz, Oaxaca, bound for Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz. Emergency services are located nearby, but difficult access to the site complicates rescue efforts.
Videos posted online also showed some passengers trapped in the derailed carriages.
Mexican newspaper La Razon quoted one passenger as saying the train was “moving very fast” before it derailed.
“We don’t know if his brakes failed,” the passenger told La Razon.
In a statement published on X, Oaxaca Governor Salomon Jara Cruz expressed his government's “sincere condolences to the families of those who died in this unfortunate disaster.”
The train travels between the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Ocean and carries both passengers and cargo.
On December 20, a train traveling along the same route collided with a truck attempting to cross the tracks, but no one was killed in the incident.
The line opened in 2023 as a major infrastructure project under then-President. Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador develop southeast Mexico.
The initiative was designed to modernize rail service across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, a land bridge connecting the Pacific port of Salina Cruz in Mexico with Coatzacoalcos on the Gulf Coast.
The Mexican government sought to transform the isthmus into a strategic trade corridor, expanding ports, railroads, and industrial infrastructure to create a route that could rival the Panama Canal.
