13 people killed and almost 100 others injured after train derails in Mexico

Thirteen people have been killed and nearly 100 others injured, after a train derailed in Mexico on Sunday.

The Mexican Navy confirmed the news in a statement on December 28, as they revealed that earlier in the day, a train carrying 250 people through the southern state of Oaxaca, had derailed.

The incident happened near the town of Nizanda on the Interoceanic train's main line, between Veracruz and Salina Cruz.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo said in a statement on X that 13 people had tragically been killed in the incident, with a further 98 people injured, including five who were seriously wounded.

She wrote: "The Secretariat of the Navy has informed me that in the Interoceanic Train accident, unfortunately 13 people died; 98 are injured, five of them seriously.

"The injured are in IMSS hospitals in Matías Romero and Salina Cruz, as well as in IMSS-Wellbeing hospitals in Juchitán and Ixtepec.

"I have given instructions for the Secretary of the Navy and the Deputy Secretary of Human Rights of the Secretariat of the Interior to travel to the site and personally attend to the families; also the delegates of IMSS and IMSS-Wellbeing.

"The Secretary of the Interior will coordinate the efforts. I appreciate the support of the Governor of Oaxaca and his team. We will continue to provide updates."

Mexican Army soldiers and Civil Protection members rescue passengers from the Interoceanic train that derailed in Nizanda (Rusvel Rasgado / Getty Images)

Around 36 people in total were taken to hospital, with the remaining passengers only suffering from minor injuries.

In addition to the derailment itself, some people fell down a 22-foot slope near to the accident site, with the Navy confirming that operations were currently in progress to rescue and assist those that had fallen.

So far, hundreds of rescue personnel have raced to the scene to assist with the incident, including several senior officials who are going to liaise with the families of those killed in Sunday’s tragedy.

The cause of the derailment is currently unknown, however, Attorney General Ernestina Godoy Ramos confirmed that Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office has launched a formal investigation into the incident.

Train derailments, particularly involving cargo, are relatively common in Mexico, and are often linked to aging infrastructure, maintenance issues, or in some cases cargo theft.

However, passenger derailments are far more rare.

Civil Protection members rescue a woman from the Interoceanic train that derailed (Rusvel Rasgado / Getty Images)

The Governor of Oaxaca Salomón Jara Cruz expressed 'deep regret' over the accident in a statement.

"We deeply regret the railway accident that occurred near Nizanda in the municipality of Asunción Ixtaltepec," Cruz wrote in a statement on X. "From the state government, we express our most heartfelt condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in this unfortunate accident."

"All our support and commitment to the families who were traveling today on the Interoceanic Train," the governor added.

"We send our deepest sympathies to their families."