A train carrying 250 passengers derailed in Asunción Ixtaltepec, Oaxaca, disrupting the main rail line running between Veracruz and Salina Cruz.
The Mexican Navy reported that 36 individuals required hospitalization due to the incident, while others sustained only minor injuries. In response, the Navy dispatched hundreds of personnel and rescue vehicles to the accident site.
Mexico’s Attorney General, Ernestina Godoy, announced on social media platform X that an investigation will be launched to uncover the cause of the derailment.
President Claudia Sheinbaum addressed the situation on X, directing the Secretary of the Navy and the Undersecretary for Human Rights from the Interior Ministry to visit the scene and personally assist affected families.
The Interoceanic Train, overseen by Mexico’s Navy, connects the country’s Pacific and Gulf coasts. This main line, inaugurated in 2023, was part of a broader initiative by former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador to boost economic growth in southern Mexico and offer an alternative route to the Panama Canal for cargo transportation.
Managed by Mexico’s Navy, the Interoceanic Train links Mexico’s Pacific and Gulf coasts. Its main line only came into service in 2023, under a new program by then-Mexican president Andrés Manuel López Obrador to promote economic development in southern Mexico and create an alternative to the Panama Canal for cargo transport.
