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A train crash in southern Mexico has killed at least 13 people, injured dozens more and disrupted traffic on a key rail line between the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico.
The incident occurred on Sunday when the transoceanic train connecting the states of Oaxaca and Veracruz derailed on a curve near the town of Nizanda.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum confirmed the deaths, saying on President Scheinbaum has since directed the Secretary of the Navy and the Under Secretary of the Interior for Human Rights to go to the scene and provide direct assistance to the affected families.
Oaxaca Governor Solomon Jara also confirmed on X that multiple government agencies have been mobilized to the scene to rescue the injured. Official reports said there were 241 passengers and nine crew members on the train at the time of the derailment.
The transoceanic train service was launched in 2023 by then-President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. It is a key part of a wider plan to boost rail travel in southern Mexico and develop infrastructure along the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, the narrow strip of land that connects the Pacific Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico. The Mexican government envisions transforming the isthmus into a strategic corridor for international trade, using ports and rail lines to connect the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. The train currently operates a route of approximately 180 miles (290 kilometers) from the Pacific port of Salina Cruz to Coatzacoalcos.