At least 13 people have been killed and dozens more injured after a passenger train derailed in southern Mexico, authorities have confirmed, in one of the deadliest rail incidents in the country in recent years.
Mexico’s navy said the train, carrying around 250 people, came off the tracks in the southern state of Oaxaca. In a statement, the navy confirmed that 13 people lost their lives in the crash, while 98 others were injured. Of those wounded, 36 are currently receiving treatment in the hospital.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said that five of the injured remain in critical condition, highlighting the seriousness of the incident.
According to earlier information released by the Navy, the train consisted of four passenger carriages and two locomotives. It was carrying 241 passengers along with nine crew members when it derailed near the town of Nizanda.
The train, known as the “Interoceanic Train”, was travelling across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, linking the Pacific port of Salina Cruz with Coatzacoalcos on the Gulf of Mexico. The route is considered a key transport corridor connecting the two coastlines.
In response to the derailment, the Mexican Navy launched a large-scale search and rescue operation. Authorities deployed 360 naval personnel, 20 vehicles, four ground ambulances, three air ambulances, and a tactical drone to assist in rescue efforts and evacuate the injured.
An investigation into the cause of the derailment is underway, as questions grow over rail safety on the strategic interoceanic route.
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