Deadly Derailment Hits Mexico’s Flagship Interoceanic Rail Project; Train Crashes Near Nizanda Curve.

Mexico Rail Tragedy: Interoceanic Train Derails in Oaxaca, 13 Killed, 5 Passengers Critical.

A major tragedy unfolded in southern Mexico late Sunday, December 28, 2025, when a passenger train operating on the newly launched Interoceanic rail line derailed in Oaxaca state, killing at least 13 people and injuring 98 others, several of them critically. The accident occurred near the town of Nizanda as the train was negotiating a sharp curve, while travelling between the Pacific port of Salina Cruz and Coatzacoalcos on the Gulf of Mexico—a key stretch of the ambitious Isthmus of Tehuantepec corridor.

 Mexican authorities confirmed that 250 people were onboard, including 241 passengers and nine crew members, when multiple carriages derailed, with some reportedly tilting dangerously toward a cliff edge, triggering panic and chaos among passengers. President Claudia Sheinbaum stated that five injured passengers remain in critical condition, underscoring the severity of the crash.

The Mexican Navy (Semar), which operates and oversees the Interoceanic rail service, launched a large-scale rescue and evacuation operation, deploying over 360 naval personnel, along with 20 vehicles, four ground ambulances, three air ambulances, and tactical drones to search for and evacuate victims from the rugged and difficult terrain surrounding the crash site.

The injured were rushed to multiple medical facilities, including IMSS hospitals in Matías Romero and Salina Cruz, and IMSS-Bienestar hospitals in Juchitán and Ixtepec, where emergency teams continue to treat survivors. The derailment has cast a shadow over the Interoceanic Train project; a flagship infrastructure initiative launched in December 2023 by former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, designed to link the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans through southern Mexico as a strategic “land bridge” alternative to the Panama Canal, and uniquely operated by the Navy rather than a civilian rail authority.

Mexico’s Attorney General Ernestina Godoy Ramos has ordered a formal investigation into the cause of the crash, with early reports suggesting the train may have encountered difficulty negotiating a curve on a bridge, leading to loss of stability and derailment.   

Authorities have assured transparency and accountability as forensic teams examine track conditions, train mechanics, and operational procedures, while the nation mourns one of the deadliest rail accidents to strike the high-profile Interoceanic corridor since its launch.