At least 13 people dead after train derails in Mexico
At least 13 people have died and dozens more are being treated for their injuries after a train derailed in Mexico, authorities have said.
At least 13 people have died and dozens more are being treated for their injuries after a train derailed in Mexico, authorities have said.
The accident happened between the towns of Chivela and Nizanda in the southern state of Oaxaca, on a line connecting the Pacific Ocean with the Gulf of Mexico, on Sunday.
Some 250 people, including 241 passengers and nine crew members, were on board, according to details released by the Mexican Navy, which controls the route.
Image: Passengers gather by the rail tracks. Pic: Social media video/via Reuters
Image: Emergency workers helped passengers disembark the train. Pic: Reuters/ Jose de Jesus Cortes
At least 13 people were killed, the navy said, with 98 injured - including 36 who needed hospital medical assistance. President Claudia Sheinbaum said on X that five of the injured are in a critical condition.
During extensive search and rescue operations, the navy said it deployed a total of 360 personnel, 20 vehicles, four ground ambulances, three air ambulances, and one tactical drone.
Footage from the scene shows emergency workers helping passengers disembark, and some of the injured being carried on stretchers.
Image: Authorities say dozens were injured in the crash. Pic: Reuters/ Jose de Jesus Cortes
"We didn't even know what happened," said passenger Rosa Isela Ramírez.
An investigation into the incident has been opened, Attorney General Ernestina Godoy Ramos said in a post on social media.
The interoceanic train launched in 2023 under the country's former president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.
Image: The derailment happened on an interoceanic route connecting the Pacific Ocean with the Gulf of Mexico, in the southern state of Oaxaca
It forms part of the broader Interoceanic Corridor project, designed to modernise the rail link across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec - connecting the Pacific port of Salina Cruz with Coatzacoalcos on the Gulf Coast, covering a distance of approximately 180 miles (290km).
The Mexican government has been working to develop the strip of land into a strategic trade corridor, expanding ports, railways and industrial infrastructure with the goal of creating a route that could compete with the Panama Canal.
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In a statement, the Mexican Navy expressed condolences to the families of those "who lost their lives in this tragic accident".
The governor of Oaxaca, Salomon Jara Cruz, also sent condolences to the families of those killed and said state authorities were coordinating with federal agencies to assist those affected.