A passenger train on Mexico’s Interoceanic Railway derailed Sunday near the town of Nizanda in Oaxaca, killing 13 people and injuring 98, authorities said. About 250 people were aboard when several cars left the tracks along a curve in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec.
Officials said the crash halted service on a strategic rail line linking the Pacific port of Salina Cruz with Coatzacoalcos on the Gulf of Mexico. President Claudia Sheinbaum said federal and state teams were deployed to aid families, while prosecutors opened a criminal inquiry into the cause. The Navy, which oversees operations on the line, confirmed the death toll and said five of the injured remained in critical condition as of Monday. The accident is the most lethal on a government-backed rail project since the corridor was inaugurated two years ago, putting fresh scrutiny on safety and oversight.
Witnesses described a violent jolt as cars toppled down a steep embankment and into heavy vegetation shortly after noon Sunday. Videos from the scene showed coaches on their sides and rescue crews cutting through twisted metal to reach passengers. “It was going very fast on the curves,” said Baldo Enríquez Antonio, whose wife and teenage son were riding home to Veracruz; both were hospitalized with broken bones and cuts, he said. President Sheinbaum told reporters that immediate care for victims was the priority and urged patience as investigators gather evidence. Oaxaca Gov. Salomón Jara said state agencies coordinated with federal responders to transport the injured and support next-of-kin.
Authorities said 241 passengers and nine crew members were on board. By Monday night, officials reported 139 people were considered out of danger, while 36 remained under medical care, including five in critical condition. The Attorney General’s Office said its investigators had taken statements from the train operator and other crew members and were collecting data from the train’s onboard systems. Families identified some of the victims, including a teenager mourned at a small funeral home in Oaxaca. The Navy said specialized teams were stabilizing railcars and clearing debris so searchers could fully sweep the site. Officials did not provide a timetable for restoring service or releasing a preliminary report.
The Interoceanic Railway is part of a flagship plan to revive rail travel and industry in southern Mexico. Inaugurated in 2023, the corridor upgrades a century-old route across Mexico’s narrowest point to move cargo and passengers between two oceans, pitched as an alternative to shipping routes that rely on the Panama Canal. The government also operates the tourist-focused Mayan Train in the Yucatán Peninsula. While two nonfatal derailments involving the Mayan Train were recorded earlier this year, Sunday’s crash was the first with multiple deaths on the Interoceanic line. Audits and opposition lawmakers have previously questioned oversight and procurement on megaprojects; the administration has defended the initiatives as catalysts for jobs and development in long-neglected regions.
Prosecutors said the inquiry will examine track geometry on the curve where the cars left the rails, recent maintenance records, dispatch logs, crew hours, and any speed restrictions in effect at the time. Investigators are also reviewing radio traffic and surveillance footage from nearby crossings. The train’s event recorder was recovered, officials said. The Navy and the Transportation Ministry pledged to release findings once interviews and forensic work are complete. Sheinbaum said senior officials, including the Navy secretary and the Interior Ministry’s human-rights undersecretary, were sent to the site. No charges have been announced. A federal briefing is expected after the New Year once data analysis and site mapping are finished.
Along the cordoned-off right-of-way Monday, soldiers guarded the wreckage while municipal workers handed out water and blankets. Families waited under tarps for news of relatives still in surgery. “We’ve had very little information. It’s been incredibly hard for all the families,” said Héctor Serrano García, who learned his 15-year-old daughter died in the crash. In nearby El Espinal, church bells tolled as a line formed outside a clinic to give blood. Residents described the screech of metal echoing across fields of palm and scrub before first responders arrived from neighboring towns. By late afternoon, cranes had lifted two cars back onto the ballast as investigators measured gouges in the rail and ties.
As of Wednesday, Dec. 31, crews are clearing the site and service on the corridor remains suspended near Nizanda. Prosecutors have not released a preliminary cause. Officials said the next update on the investigation and rail operations will come in the days ahead after evidence from the event recorder and track surveys is processed.
Author note: Last updated December 31, 2025.