Migrant train derails in Tabasco, Mexico

Monday, August 26, 2013

At least five people have died and sixteen were injured in a train derailment in Tabasco, Mexico yesterday, according to the director of Tabasco civil protection. The cargo train is often used by migrants.

The derailment occurred at approximately 3:00 a.m local time (8:00 a.m UTC), with eight of the twelve cars overturning. The state government reported that at least 250 Honduras citizens were traveling on the train, which had a scrap metal cargo. The train company and rescue workers continue to search the wreckage and treat survivors, but the remote and marshy site hinders efforts. Two cranes have been dispatched to assist.

Mario Bustillos Borge, the Red Cross chief in Tabasco, noted that current information on the numbers deceased and injured was hard to confirm due to the complex nature of the rescue. "There are some very high estimates, and others that are more conservative," he said. The first car and the engine, which did not overturn, were used to transport the injured to a local hospital in Veracruz.

The train, dubbed 'The Beast' by locals, was headed north from the Guatemalan border at the time of the accident. Migrants regularly try to hitch a ride to the US by climbing onto its roof or in between cars. Preliminary reports suggest that the tracks had shifted following heavy rains.

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Sources

The Associated Press. "At Least 5 Die as Train Derails in Mexico" — The New York Times, August 25, 2013
Edgar Zuniga, Jr. and Daniel Arkin. "Mexican cargo train used by migrants derails, killing at least 5" — NBC News, August 25, 2013
Catherine E. Shoichet. "Mexican cargo train used by migrants derails, killing at least 5" — CNN, August 25, 2013
Antonio Alejandro Villegas. "Mexico migrant train derails; at least 5 dead, more than a dozen hurt in remote zone" — Global News, August 25, 2013

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