Images from the scene reveal a dramatic accident where train cars have plummeted off a steep hillside, landing in the thick jungle below, while others lie overturned nearby.

The train line, inaugurated in 2023, was a key initiative of Mexico’s then-president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador. It was part of a broader government effort to enhance railway systems and improve connectivity in Mexico’s rural areas. However, this project, like many of López Obrador’s infrastructure ventures, faced criticism for its rapid construction pace, often bypassing regulatory hurdles and environmental evaluations.

In the wake of this tragic event, President Claudia Sheinbaum, a close ally and successor to López Obrador, addressed the nation. She assured the public that she was en route to the affected region and affirmed that both the train and its infrastructure had been functioning correctly prior to the incident.

“Our immediate focus is on attending to the victims,” President Sheinbaum stated. “Following that, we will conduct a thorough investigation to determine the cause of this accident.”

Amidst the sorrowful aftermath, Hector Serrano Garcia mourned the loss of his 15-year-old daughter, Luisa, who was among those killed in the crash. He was surrounded by family at a small funeral home in Oaxaca, engulfed in grief.

Carmen García, Luisa’s grandmother who was also on the train, begged on Sunday night on social media for help in finding her granddaughter.

“We haven’t been able to find her anywhere,” the grandmother said. “Please, everyone, touch your hearts, it’s my granddaughter.”

Serrano Garcia said the family received the tragic news that Luisa was killed on Monday.

“We’ve had very little information,” he said. “It’s been incredibly hard for all the families.”

‘It was going very fast’

Baldo Enríquez Antonio said his wife, Ana Guadalupe Fabre, and their 16-year-old son were both on the train, returning home to Veracruz after spending Christmas with relatives in Oaxaca.

They told him the train “was going very fast on the curves,” he said over the phone from a hospital in southern Oaxaca.

Fabre broke several ribs in the crash and their son hurt his leg and had a gash on his forehead where he suffered a bad cut, Enríquez Antonio told The Associated Press.

Despite his own injuries, their son pulled his mother out of their toppled train car.

When asked about the speed of the train, Sheinbaum said she had seen videos of survivors talking about the speed but warned that “we shouldn’t speculate” but let the “prosecutors do their job.”