A tragic derailment of the strategic "Interoceanic Train" occurred in southern Mexico, causing at least 13 deaths and 98 injuries after the train went off a curve near the city of Nizanda, Oaxaca state. The president ordered senior officials to urgently visit the site to support the victims' families.
The accident involved a train connecting the oceans, a key national infrastructure project, which derailed on a curve near Nizanda, at the border of Oaxaca and Veracruz states.
President Claudia Sheinbaum posted on the X platform confirming Navy reports that the incident caused at least 13 deaths and 98 injuries, including 5 critically injured. At the time, there were 241 passengers and 9 crew members on board.
The Mexican leader instructed the Minister of the Navy and the Secretary of the Interior for Human Rights to immediately proceed to the scene to facilitate assistance and support for the victims' families. Oaxaca Governor Salomon Jara stated that multiple disaster relief agencies have mobilized to help those affected in the area.
This train line officially opened in 2023 under former President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador as part of a strategic plan to connect trade between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans via the Tehuantepec Isthmus.
The route spans approximately 290 kilometers, linking the port of Salina Cruz on the Pacific side with the port of Coatzacoalcos on the Gulf of Mexico side. The government aims to promote it as a major economic corridor for global freight transport.
However, this accident has caused a temporary suspension of train operations on the route to allow authorities to thoroughly investigate the cause of the derailment.
. AP