Passenger Train Derails in Oaxaca, Mexico: 13 Dead, 98 Injured

In the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca, a passenger train carrying 250 people partially derailed, resulting in at least 13 fatalities and 98 injuries.

According to the Mexican Navy, the accident occurred when “the train’s engine came off the tracks during travel.” Initial reports indicated 20 injuries, but the Navy later confirmed that 98 people were wounded and 13 lost their lives.

President Claudia Sheinbaum has taken notice of the incident and instructed the Navy Secretary and other senior officials to visit the site and provide assistance to affected families.

The Attorney General’s Office of Mexico has launched an investigation to determine the cause of the accident. This railway line connects the Gulf of Mexico to the Pacific Ocean and is used for both passenger and freight trains.

The railway project was initiated in 2023 during former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s administration to promote development in southeastern Mexico. Notably, on December 20, a freight train on the same route collided with a truck, but no casualties were reported in that incident.