The Interoceanic passenger train connecting Salina Cruz, Oaxaca, and Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz, partially derailed about 5 km south of Nizanda, killing 13 and injuring 98. The train carried 250 people (241 passengers and nine crew); 139 were reported out of danger and dozens remained under care. Rescue teams faced difficult access to the site, footage showed overturned carriages, and Mexico’s Attorney General has opened an investigation while the government mobilises navy and interior officials.
Interoceanic Train Derails Near Nizanda, Oaxaca — 13 Dead, Dozens Injured
Mexican Army soldiers and Civil Protection members rescue passengers from the Interoceanic train that derailed in the Asuncion Ixtaltepec area on the route to Oaxaca, Mexico, on Sunday [Rusvel Rasgado/AFP]
A passenger train on the Interoceanic line linking Oaxaca and Veracruz partially derailed on Sunday near the town of Nizanda, killing at least 13 people and injuring 98, officials said.
What Happened
The Mexican Navy reported that the Interoceanic Train left the tracks while negotiating a curve about 5 kilometres south of Nizanda, in the municipality of Asunción Ixtaltepec, Oaxaca. The service had departed Salina Cruz bound for Coatzacoalcos when several carriages came off the rails; images and videos circulated by news outlets and on social media showed at least one carriage on its side and another separated from the track.
Casualties and On-Scene Situation
Authorities said the train was carrying 250 people in total: nine crew members and 241 passengers. Officials confirmed 13 fatalities and 98 injured. Of those aboard, 139 were reported to be out of danger; 36 of the injured remained under medical care, and at least five were described by President Claudia Sheinbaum as being in "serious" condition.
Rescue Efforts and Challenges
Emergency teams reached the area but struggled with difficult access to the crash site, hampering rescue and evacuation operations. Video footage showed passengers trapped in overturned carriages and rescue workers attempting to free them.
"It was coming very fast. We don’t know if it lost its brakes," a passenger told Mexico’s La Razon.
Official Response and Investigation
President Sheinbaum said she ordered the navy secretary and other senior officials to travel to the scene to assist affected families. The Interior Ministry is coordinating the government response, and Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office has opened an investigation to determine the cause of the derailment.
Background
The Interoceanic rail line, inaugurated in 2023 as a flagship project under then-President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, was designed to modernise the Isthmus of Tehuantepec corridor and link the Pacific port of Salina Cruz with Coatzacoalcos on the Gulf coast. The line carries both passengers and freight and is part of a broader government effort to develop the Isthmus as a strategic trade route to complement existing maritime alternatives. On December 20 a train on the same route collided with a cargo truck at a crossing; that incident produced no fatalities.
What Comes Next
Investigators are expected to examine the train’s speed, braking systems, track conditions and operational procedures as part of the probe. Authorities have urged relatives of the missing and injured to contact official help lines as emergency services continue rescue and recovery operations.
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