Mexico train collision kills 13 and injures nearly 100

A train derailment occurred in the Oaxaca region of southeastern Mexico, killing at least 13 people and injuring nearly 100 others, the Mexican Navy said.

The train traveled between the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Ocean, carrying 241 passengers and nine crew members.

The navy said a total of 98 people were injured, 36 of whom were being treated in hospital.

Officials said the train derailed while rounding a curve near the town of Nizanda. Mexico’s attorney general confirmed an investigation is ongoing.

Mexican President Claudia Scheinbaum said five of the injured were in serious condition.

She said senior officials, including the Navy secretary, were heading to the crash site.

Photos from the accident scene showed rescuers helping passengers board the train, which fell off the tracks and tilted partially toward a cliff.

The transoceanic train, which connects the Pacific port of Salina Cruz to Coatzacoalcos on the Gulf Coast, has two locomotives and four passenger cars, the Navy said. The Mexican Navy operates the country’s rail network.

Oaxaca Governor Salomon Jara Cruz expressed “deep regret” for the accident in a statement and said state authorities were coordinating with federal agencies to assist those affected.

The transoceanic railway opened two years ago in an effort to boost the region’s economy, an initiative spearheaded by former President Andrés Manuel Lopez Obrador.

The Mexican government aims to modernize rail lines on the Isthmus of Tehuantepec and seeks to develop the region into a strategic trade corridor, expanding port, rail and industrial infrastructure.

The train service is also part of a broader effort to expand passenger and freight rail in southern Mexico and stimulate economic development in the region.