Necropsies on victims of the Interoceanic Train are concluded; FGR analyzes black box

“Prioritizing the repair of damage to the victims, the FGR reports that it is advancing in the first expert and ministerial proceedings, after what happened in the Interoceanic Corridor,” it said in a statement.

”Different immediate actions have been carried out with the aim of clarifying the facts as soon as possible,” he added.

The FGR said that it is working jointly with the Executive Commission for Attention to Victims (CEAV), in order to address everything related to repairing the damage.

President Claudia Sheinbaum was questioned this morning about the legal situation of the driver and crew of the train that derailed. FGR did not share details.

The Prosecutor’s Office did report that it works in coordination with the Attorney General’s Office of Oaxaca, and other state agencies such as the Secretariat of Government, Civil Protection and Police, in addition to the Secretariat of Infrastructure, Communications and Transportation (SICT), the Regulatory Agency for Railway Transportation and the Secretariat of the Navy (Navy).

“Among other advances, a documentary review is carried out and field work continues, under the command of the Federal Public Ministry, ministerial and expert police personnel, who carry out their intervention to conclude the inspections of the site and the railway units,” he explained.

”In addition to conducting interviews with various members of the crew, in strict accordance with the respective protocols and procedures, respecting, in all cases, the chain of custody, highlighting the procedures related to the black box, known as a pulser,” he added.

Accident puts pressure on emblematic works

President Claudia Sheinbaum on Tuesday evaded questions from reporters about the causes of the deadly derailment of a passenger train over the weekend in southern Mexico, the latest in a series of accidents that have pressured the Government to improve the safety of emblematic projects.

The train driver, who survived the crash, was questioned, while opposition legislators requested an international expert opinion on the incident, in which 13 people died and a hundred were injured.

“The Prosecutor’s Office has already conducted interviews with the operator and several people, they will have to inform what proceeds,” declared Sheinbaum in his daily press conference.

The accident in the state of Oaxaca adds to two derailments suffered this year by the tourist Mayan Train, in the Yucatán Peninsula, although in both cases there were no victims.

The Mexican military operates both the Mayan Train and the Interoceanic Train, which derailed on Sunday, raising questions about its role and what the Sheinbaum administration is doing to ensure safety at iconic infrastructure projects.

“The government should be very concerned about the safety record and do everything possible to determine the cause of the derailment,” said Gustavo Flores-Macías, dean of the School of Public Policy at the University of Maryland.

Survivors of the accident, which occurred on the Isthmus of Tehuantepec Railway, a narrow strip of land that connects the Pacific Ocean with the Gulf of Mexico, told local media that the accident occurred when the train was taking a curve.

The railway line is part of a commercial and passenger route launched in 2023 by Andrés Manuel López Obrador, with the aim of turning it into a strategic alternative to the Panama Canal.

But the project has faced accusations of corruption, weak oversight and potential conflicts of interest. The Superior Audit of the Federation (ASF) found irregularities in four construction contracts for the Interoceanic Train, including overpayments for materials, in a report on the 2020 public accounts.

Following the weekend accident, local media outlets have also reported that companies linked to associates of López Obrador’s children could have benefited from government contracts linked to large infrastructure projects, including the Interoceanic Train.

During his six-year term, López Obrador denied the accusations, calling them politically motivated.

Opposition lawmakers called for an independent investigation. Alejandro Moreno, leader of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), urged the Government to suspend all projects linked to the children of the former president and his business partners.

Senator Mario Vázquez, of the opposition National Action Party (PAN), described the derailment as “criminal negligence.”

“The discussion around this accident could spark a broader and more damaging conversation about other projects of the previous administration,” said political consultant Antonio Ocaranza, highlighting the Mayan Train and the Olmeca refinery, both megaprojects with budgets higher than expected.

According to Ocaranza, Sheinbaum’s strong approval ratings may limit the short-term impact, but future problems could have political consequences. “If these accidents become more frequent and the causes are considered unreliable, there will be greater public scrutiny and greater cost to the government,” he said.

-With information from Cassandra Garrison and Raul Cortes of the Reuters agency.