13 killed, 98 injured after passenger train derails in Mexico

Mexico City, Dec 29 (IANS) A passenger train carrying 241 passengers and nine crew members derailed on a bridge near Nizanda in southern Mexico on Sunday, leaving at least 13 people dead and 98 others injured, the Secretariat of the Navy said on social media.

The accident occurred on the Interoceanic Train, which links the Pacific port of Salina Cruz with Coatzacoalcos on the Gulf Coast, as it rounded a bend near the town of Nizanda in Oaxaca. The train, consisting of two locomotives and four passenger cars, partially toppled off the tracks, with several carriages tilting down the side of a cliff.

Of the 98 injured, five were in serious condition. Most have been admitted to hospitals run by the Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS) in Matías Romero and Salina Cruz, while others were treated at IMSS-Wellbeing hospitals in Juchitán and Ixtepec.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo posted on X, “The Secretariat of the Navy has informed me that in the Interoceanic Train accident, unfortunately 13 people died; 98 are injured, five of them seriously. The injured are in IMSS hospitals in Matías Romero and Salina Cruz, as well as in IMSS-Wellbeing hospitals in Juchitán and Ixtepec.”

“ I have given instructions for the Secretary of the Navy and the Deputy Secretary of Human Rights of the Secretariat of the Interior to travel to the site and personally attend to the families; also the delegates of IMSS and IMSS-Wellbeing. The Secretary of the Interior will coordinate the efforts. I appreciate the support of the Governor of Oaxaca and his team. We will continue to provide updates,” she added.

Rescue workers were seen helping passengers alight from the derailed train, while local and federal authorities coordinated relief and medical assistance. Governor Salomón Jara Cruz expressed “deep regret” over the accident and assured that state authorities were cooperating fully with federal teams to assist the affected families.

Mexico’s Attorney General has launched an investigation into the cause of the derailment. The Interoceanic rail link, inaugurated two years ago under former President Andrés Manuel Lopez Obrador, was designed to strengthen regional connectivity, boost passenger and freight transport, and create a strategic trade corridor across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec.

Authorities continue to monitor the situation closely, focusing on the safety of passengers and providing urgent medical care to the injured. The accident underscores the need for rigorous safety measures on this vital rail corridor through Oaxaca’s challenging terrain.

int/rs