Mexico City: A train carrying 250 people derailed partially on Sunday in Mexico, killing 13 people and injuring 98, officials said.

The train's locomotive left the tracks during a trip in southern Oaxaca state, said the Mexican navy, which operates this particular rail line.

The navy had initially reported 20 people injured, but hours later announced in a statement that "98 were injured... and unfortunately, 13 people lost their lives."

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said 13 people died and another 98 people were injured. She also directed the secretary of the navy and other senior personnel to travel to the area and assist the families of those affected.

“The Secretariat of the Navy has informed me that in the Interoceanic Train accident, unfortunately 13 people died; 98 are injured, five of them seriously. The injured are in IMSS hospitals in Matías Romero and Salina Cruz, as well as in IMSS-Wellbeing hospitals in Juchitán and Ixtepec”, Sheinbaum posted on X.

“I have given instructions for the Secretary of the Navy and the Deputy Secretary of Human Rights of the Secretariat of the Interior to travel to the site and personally attend to the families; also the delegates of IMSS and IMSS-Wellbeing,” she added.

“The Secretary of the Interior will coordinate the efforts. I appreciate the support of the Governor of Oaxaca and his team. We will continue to provide updates”, she concluded.

The country's Attorney General's office said it was opening an investigation to determine the cause of the accident. The train runs between the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Ocean and carries both passengers and freight.

The line was inaugurated in 2023 as a major infrastructure project under then-president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador to develop southeast Mexico.

On December 20, a train on the same route collided with a cargo truck attempting to cross the tracks, although that incident did not result in any deaths.

AFP