image source, AFP via Getty Images
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- Author, Harry Sekulich
- Author title, BBCNews
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Reading time: 4 minutes
At least 13 people were killed and more than 100 injured when a train derailed in the Oaxaca region of southwestern Mexico, according to the Mexican Navy.
The train, which traveled between the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Ocean, carried 241 passengers and nine crew members.
According to the Navy, a total of 108 people were injured, 44 of whom are being treated in hospital.
The authorities said that this Monday a technical assessment of the accident will be carried out throughout the area and the pulser system, similar to a black box, will be examined.
The injured are in hospitals of the Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS) in Matías Romero and Salina Cruz and the IMSS-Bienestar in Juchitán and Ixtepec, reported the President of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, on the social network X.
According to authorities, the train derailed while taking a curve near the town of Nizanda.
The Mexican Attorney General’s Office confirmed that an investigation had been opened.
image source, Reuters
image source, Reuters
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum reported that five of the injured were in serious condition.
“I have given instructions to the Secretary of the Navy and the Undersecretary of State for Human Rights of the Ministry of the Interior to be on site and personally look after the families,” said the President in X.
In his morning conference, Sheinbaum stated that he would travel to the accident site this Monday to supervise the work and speak to the victims’ families.
He also promised to “very rigorously investigate what happened,” in addition to providing comprehensive care to the victims and families and ensuring the safety of the train before it is put back into service.
Photos from the scene showed rescuers helping passengers get off the train, which had derailed and was partially leaning on the edge of a cliff.
The Interoceanic train, which connects the port of Salina Cruz on the Pacific Ocean with Coatzacoalcos on the Gulf of Mexico coast, had two locomotives and four passenger cars, according to the Navy Department. The Mexican Navy operates the country’s railway network.
image source, Reuters
image source, Rusvel RASGADO/AFP via Getty Images
Oaxaca Governor Salomón Jara Cruz expressed “deep regret” over the accident in a statement and said state authorities would coordinate with federal authorities to provide assistance to those affected.
The interoceanic rail corridor was inaugurated two years ago to boost the region’s economy, an initiative of former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
Aiming to modernize rail connectivity through the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, the Mexican government has sought to transform the area into a strategic trade corridor and develop ports, railways and industrial infrastructure.
The train service is also part of a broader effort to expand passenger and freight rail transportation in southern Mexico and stimulate economic development in the region.
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