At least 13 people were killed when a train derailed in the Mexican state of Oaxaca, in an accident which is likely to revive opposition criticisms of the speed and dealings with which the country’s government builds its flagship public works projects.
The incident took place on the Interoceanic Train, which was built to link the Atlantic and Pacific oceans across the narrowest part of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, creating an alternative rail cargo route to the Panama canal intended to drive development in the region.
Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum said on Monday that another 98 of the 250 people on the train were injured, five of them critically, adding that she would travel to Oaxaca later in the day to talk to those affected and “rigorously clarify what caused this accident”.
The Interoceanic Train was one of the flagship infrastructure projects of Sheinbaum’s predecessor and ally, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, commonly known as Amlo, whose term finished last year.
Another of Amlo’s projects, the £16bn ($21.6bn) Mayan Train, which entailed the construction of a loop of rail for tourists and cargo around the entire Yucatán Peninsula, compounded his bid to kickstart the economy of the relatively poor south-east.
The construction of both trains was overseen by the Mexican military, in a dramatic expansion of its responsibilities in recent years. They were built at double time, defying expectations to be at least partially inaugurated before the end of Amlo’s term – but also raising concerns over safety.
Sunday’s derailment was the third incident on the Interoceanic Train this year, including one earlier this month when a train hit a truck at a crossing. The Mayan Train has also seen two non-fatal derailments.
Alejandro Moreno, the leader of the opposition institutional revolutionary party (PRI), called for the construction and operation of all such projects to be paused while a full audit was conducted.
“This tragedy … demands immediate answers,” wrote the party on X.
Sheinbaum responded by insisting the train had operated with all safety requirements. “We will be very responsible in the construction and operation [of these projects], as we have always been,” she said.
