Thirteen people died and 98 were injured when a passenger train derailed in southern Mexico on December 28, 2025. The Interoceanic Train, carrying about 250 people, left the rails as it rounded a curve near Nizanda in the Oaxaca municipality of Asunción Ixtaltepec.
The Mexican Navy said the train had nine crew members and 241 passengers aboard. Of those on board, 139 were reported out of danger, while 36 of the injured were still receiving treatment. President Claudia Sheinbaum said at least five of the injured were in serious condition and directed naval and other officials to the scene to help the families.
One passenger, quoted by the newspaper La Razon, said the train “was coming very fast” before the crash and that it was unclear whether it lost its brakes. The Attorney General’s Office opened an investigation into the cause.
The route connects the Gulf of Mexico to the Pacific, linking the port of Salina Cruz with Coatzacoalcos. It was inaugurated in 2023 under then-President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador as part of a push to turn the Isthmus of Tehuantepec into a corridor that could rival the Panama Canal.
For communities along the route, the derailment lands on a project that promised modernization but has now been forced to answer for its safety. Authorities have not yet said what went wrong, and rescue crews reportedly struggled to reach the site through difficult terrain. The investigation, officials say, will determine what a fast-moving train met on that curve.
Sources
- Train derails in southern Mexico, killing 13 and injuring dozens | Transport News | Al Jazeera
- Mexico train derailment: At least 13 people killed and 98 injured in Oaxaca incident – Manchester Evening News
