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 she had directed the secretary of the navy and other senior personnel to travel to the area and assist the families of those affected.

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 Dec 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.