A major train derailment in southern Mexico has resulted in a tragic loss of life, killing at least 13 people and injuring dozens more. The accident presents a severe challenge for President Claudia Sheinbaum, testing her government's commitment to accountability and the safety of flagship infrastructure projects inherited from her predecessor.
A Fatal Derailment on a Flagship Route
The disaster occurred on Sunday in the Asunción Ixtaltepec municipality of Oaxaca state. A passenger train, part of the Interoceanic Train of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, jumped its tracks on a mountainous curve. Disturbing video from the scene showed overturned carriages and parts of the train dangling precariously off the tracks.
This rail line is a critical project linking Mexico's Pacific and Gulf coasts, envisioned to boost cargo and passenger transit while stimulating the economy in the country's poorer south. It was a pet project of former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO), who placed the Mexican Navy in charge of its construction and operation.
President Sheinbaum, addressing the nation on Monday, stated that care for the victims is her top priority, with 44 survivors still hospitalized. She pledged a rigorous investigation into the cause and announced plans to visit the crash site. She has directed the rail transport agency and the Attorney General's Office to collaborate on the probe.
Political and Institutional Repercussions
The accident casts a harsh light on the expanded role of the Mexican Navy, which under AMLO was tasked with running not only this train but also ports, airports, and the separate Maya Train tourist project. The Navy is already embroiled in a sprawling fuel smuggling scandal, with a senior admiral arrested in an ongoing probe.
Furthermore, the tragedy places Sheinbaum in a delicate position regarding AMLO's family. One of the former president's sons, Gonzalo López Beltrán, served as an unpaid, informal advisor to the Interoceanic project despite having no railway experience. Another son, Andrés López Beltrán, is a senior leader in the ruling Morena party and has faced media allegations of helping friends secure railway contracts, which he denies.
Opposition parties were quick to blame systemic failures. Alejandro Moreno, president of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), accused "corruption covered up by Morena" for the tragedy. He referenced an audio leak where an AMLO nephew discussed the risks of rushing the Maya Train's inauguration.
A History of Infrastructure Scrutiny
This is not the first fatal rail accident under the Morena party's governance. In 2021, when Sheinbaum was mayor of Mexico City, a section of the city's elevated subway collapsed, killing 26 and injuring nearly 100. Investigations later cited faulty welding and poor maintenance. That incident led to intense criticism from opposition groups like the National Action Party (PAN), who pointed to corruption and negligence.
For President Sheinbaum, the derailment is a major setback as she seeks to continue AMLO's railway legacy while managing a large budget deficit. Her administration has allocated 105 billion pesos ($1.3 billion) for nine new railway projects next year, with about 25 billion pesos earmarked for the Interoceanic project's operations. Ensuring the safety and integrity of these massive investments is now an urgent political and operational imperative.
