Mexico Interoceanic Train derailment leaves 13 dead, nearly 100 injured

The Interoceanic Train linking the states of Oaxaca and Veracruz derailed while passing a curve near the town of Nizanda, leaving 13 dead and injuring 98.

The derailment also halted the traffic on the rail line connecting the Pacific Ocean with the Gulf of Mexico.

Authorities said 241 passengers and nine crew members were aboard the train when the accident occurred.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said that the Secretariat of the Navy informed her of the accident, which resulted in several deaths and left dozens injured.

She said: “The injured are in IMSS hospitals in Matías Romero and Salina Cruz, as well as in IMSS-Wellbeing hospitals in Juchitán and Ixtepec.”

She instructed Navy, Human Rights and Home Ministry authorities to personally visit the site and attend to the families in grief.

The Oaxaca governor Salomón Jara Cruz said the state government had activated the patient mobilisation protocols to provide maximum assistance to the injured.

He also expressed grief over the tragedy, stating: “From the State Government, we express our most heartfelt condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in this unfortunate accident.”

The governor added: “All our support and commitment to the families who were traveling today on the Interoceanic Train. We send our deepest sympathies to their families.”

The Interoceanic Train was inaugurated in 2023 to boost train travel as part of a wider agenda aimed at turning the isthmus into a strategic corridor.