Horror as Interoceanic Train Derails Killing 13 and Injuring Nearly 100

A holiday weekend turned to tragedy in southern Mexico after a passenger train linking the Pacific and Gulf coasts derailed Sunday afternoon, killing at least 13 people and injuring nearly 100 others.

The Interoceanic Train — a flagship project meant to connect the states of Oaxaca and Veracruz — flew off the rails near the small town of Nizanda, Oaxaca, as it took a curve at high speed, according to local reports.

Officials said the wreck left several cars overturned along a stretch of track surrounded by farmland. Photos from the scene showed Mexican Army soldiers and Civil Protection workers pulling passengers from the twisted metal and shattered windows.

“The Mexican Navy has informed me that, tragically, 13 people died in the Interoceanic Train accident,” President Claudia Sheinbaum confirmed on X (formerly Twitter). “Ninety-eight others are injured, five seriously. I have instructed the secretary of the navy and the undersecretary of human rights to travel immediately to the scene and assist families of the victims.”

Eyewitnesses described the scene as “chaotic and heartbreaking.” One passenger told reporters, “People were screaming. The train shook violently, and then everything went dark. When I woke up, I was outside the carriage.”

Authorities said 241 passengers and nine crew members were aboard the train when it derailed. Oaxaca Governor Salomón Jara confirmed that ambulances and helicopters were dispatched to nearby hospitals in Juchitán and Tehuantepec.

“The response from the military and Civil Protection was immediate,” Jara said. “Our priority is to care for the injured and reunite families separated during the disaster.”

The Interoceanic Train was inaugurated in 2023 by then-President Andrés Manuel López Obrador as a symbol of economic renewal for southern Mexico. The line was designed to rival the Panama Canal by creating a land route across the narrow Isthmus of Tehuantepec — a critical shipping corridor between the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico.

At the time, Obrador called it “a train of unity and progress.” Now, it’s at the center of one of Mexico’s worst transportation disasters in years.

Officials have yet to confirm the cause of the derailment. Early reports suggest excessive speed or mechanical failure may have played a role. Investigators from the Ministry of Infrastructure and Communications are expected to release preliminary findings this week.

Local residents say the curve near Nizanda has long been considered dangerous. “Everyone here knows that stretch,” one villager told local TV. “It’s narrow, and the trains always shake when they pass.”

As rescue teams continue combing through the wreckage, families across Mexico are demanding answers — and justice — for a tragedy that has turned a national symbol of progress into a site of grief.

Source: Associated Press, AFP, local Mexican media.