AT least 13 people have tragically died and another 98 people were injured in a horrific train crash.
An Interoceanic train derailed in the south of Mexico, according to Mexican authorities.
The train had been carrying 250 people at the time of the crash, including nine crew members and 241 passengers.
The horrific ordeal happened today in the state of Oaxaca.
Since the incident, 193 of the 250 passengers have been declared out of danger, while 98 others are being treated for injuries.
At least 36 of the injured passengers received medical assistance at the scene, with five people in a critical condition.
Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum confirmed the figures in a statement on social media platform X.
According to local authorities, the derailment happened between the towns of Chivela and Nizanda.
An investigation has been launched by the Mexican Attorney General’s office, according to Attorney General Ernestina Godoy Ramos.
Oaxaca state Governor Salomon Jara released a statement and confirmed that several government agencies had attended the scene to assist injured and trapped passengers.
At least 20 of those injured passengers were rescued by the joint efforts of soldiers from the Mexican Army and Civil Protection members.
The terrible ordeal also stopped traffic along the rail line that connects the Pacific Ocean with the Gulf of Mexico.
The Interoceanic Train took its first journey in 2023, launched by then-President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
The rail service was part of a broader effort to boost train travel in the southern parts of the country, to encourage the development of infrastructure along the isthmus of Tehuantepec.
The isthmus will be turned into a strategic corridor for international trade under a plan from the Mexican government.
The ports and rail lines connect the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
The Interoceanic train now runs between the port of Salina Cruz on the Pacific Ocean to Coatzacoalcos.
It covers a distance of an estimated 180 miles (290 kilometers) .
