Train derailment in Mexico kills 13, injures nearly 100

There were nine crew members and 241 passengers aboard the train that derailed near the town of Nizanda.

Reports say that of those on board, 139 survived, while 98 were injured, of whom 36 received medical treatment.

President Claudia Sheinbaum said that five of the injured remain in critical condition, adding that senior officials had been dispatched to the scene to assist the families of the victims.

Oaxaca Governor Salomón Jara Cruz expressed condolences to the families of those killed in the accident and said state authorities are coordinating with federal agencies to help the injured.

Mexico's Attorney General's Office has already launched an investigation into the incident, Attorney General Ernestina Godoy Ramos said in a post on social media.

What is known about the Interoceanic train

The Interoceanic train, inaugurated in 2023 during the presidency of former president Andrés Manuel López Obrador, is part of the broader Interoceanic Corridor project.

The initiative was designed to modernize rail links across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, connecting the Pacific port of Salina Cruz in Mexico with Coatzacoalcos on the Gulf of Mexico coast.

The Mexican government has sought to turn the isthmus into a strategic trade corridor by expanding ports, railways, and industrial infrastructure to create a route that could compete with the Panama Canal.

The rail link is also part of broader efforts to expand passenger and freight rail transport in southern Mexico and stimulate economic development in the region.

In the autumn, Mexico also saw one of the most serious rail accidents in recent years, with numerous casualties. A freight train collided with a double-decker passenger bus, killing at least 10 people and injuring more than 60.