An Interoceanic Train accident in southern Mexico has left at least 13 people dead and dozens injured, disrupting rail services along a key route linking the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico.

According to officials, the train derailed on Sunday while negotiating a curve near the town of Nizanda, as it was travelling between the states of Oaxaca and Veracruz.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said the Mexican Navy confirmed that 13 passengers were killed in the accident, while 98 others sustained injuries, five of them in critical condition. In a post on X, she said she had directed the navy secretary and the undersecretary for human rights at the Ministry of the Interior to visit the scene and provide direct support to the affected families.

Oaxaca Governor Salomon Jara said in a separate message that multiple government agencies were deployed to the site to assist the injured and manage the emergency response.

Officials noted that the train was carrying 241 passengers along with nine crew members at the time of the derailment.

The Interoceanic Train service was launched in 2023 during the presidency of Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. It forms part of a wider initiative to revive rail transport in southern Mexico and strengthen infrastructure across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, the narrow land bridge between the Pacific and Atlantic regions.

The Mexican government aims to develop the isthmus into a major international trade corridor by linking ports and railways connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Currently, the Interoceanic Train operates between the Pacific port of Salina Cruz and Coatzacoalcos, covering roughly 180 miles (290 kilometres).