A minimum of 13 people lose their lives and ninety-eight injured in train derailment in the nation of Mexico.

A deadly train derailment in the Mexican state of Oaxaca has claimed the lives of at least 13 people, an incident expected to reignite critical opposition regarding the speed and execution of the country's major public works projects.

The crash took place on the Interoceanic Corridor train, a rail link constructed to link the Atlantic Ocean and Pacific across the narrowest part of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. This initiative was intended to establish an different freight railway path to the Panama Canal, aimed at driving economic development in the area.

“We will rigorously clarify the reasons behind this incident,” affirmed the head of state.

The official reported that, of the around 250 passengers on board, another 98 were wounded, with five of those in critical condition. The leader added plans to go to Oaxaca to meet those affected.

Key Undertaking of Former Government

The Interoceanic Train was a signature public works project of the immediate past president, whose presidency ended the year before. This venture was intimately linked to his administration's developmental goals for the southeastern region.

Another massive rail project from that time, a passenger and freight circuit around the Yucatán Peninsula, was also part of the wider plan to stimulate the economy of a comparatively poorer part of the country.

Construction Oversight and Worries

The building of both train projects was supervised by the armed forces, marking a notable expansion of its role in civilian projects. They were executed at an accelerated rate, beating expectations to be at least partly opened before the end of that presidency.

However, this accelerated timeline had concurrently sparked ongoing apprehensions over operational security.

• Sunday's derailment was the third occurrence on the Interoceanic Train in the current year.
• This includes an prior crash this month when a train hit a truck at a railroad crossing.
• The other major rail project has also had a couple of non-lethal derailments.

Demands for Investigation and Halt

In the wake of the disaster, the head of a major opposition party demanded an urgent suspension in the development and management of all comparable projects.

This halt was suggested pending a full technical review. The party stated that the loss of life "calls for prompt explanations."

In reply, the head of state maintained that the train had been operating in complete accordance with all safety requirements. Assurances were given that the government would continue to be "diligent" in both the development and management of these vital undertakings.