Swapan Kumar Singh :

At least 13 people were killed and nearly 100 others injured after a passenger train derailed in Mexico’s southern Oaxaca state, according to the country’s navy.

The navy said the train was travelling from the Gulf of Mexico coast toward the Pacific Ocean, carrying 241 passengers and nine crew members. A total of 98 people were injured in the incident, of whom 36 have been admitted to hospitals for treatment.
Officials said the derailment occurred near the town of Nisanda as the train was negotiating a curve. Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office has launched an investigation to determine the cause of the accident.

President Claudia Sheinbaum told local media that at least five of the injured remain in critical condition. She added that senior government officials have been dispatched to the crash site to oversee rescue and relief operations.

Images from the scene showed emergency responders helping passengers evacuate the train. Several derailed carriages were seen leaning against a hillside after being thrown off the tracks.

The navy said the Interoceanic train, operating between the Pacific port of Salina Cruz and the Gulf coast city of Coatzacoalcos, consisted of two locomotives and four passenger carriages. Mexico’s railway network is operated under the supervision of the navy.

Oaxaca Governor Salomón Jara Cruz expressed deep sorrow over the incident, saying the state government is working closely with federal agencies to support the victims and their families.

The Interoceanic rail link was inaugurated nearly two years ago as part of a major infrastructure initiative aimed at boosting regional economic development. The project was launched under the administration of former president Andrés Manuel López Obrador.