Train Carrying Migrants to US Derails, Killing 5

An infamous cargo train carrying at least 250 Central American migrants heading to the US derailed in a remote region of southern Mexico today, killing at least five and injuring at least 35, authorities say. The toll is expected to rise as authorities move heavy machinery to the scene of the derailment of the train known as "The Beast." Thousands of migrants ride its roof on their way north each year, braving brutal conditions for a chance at crossing into the US. The Red Cross said an undetermined number of people were trapped.

Authorities say eight cars had derailed, but they don't yet know why. The Tabasco state government says at least 250 Honduran migrants were on the train heading north from the Guatemala border. The Red Cross chief in Tabasco described the rescue as "a complex situation" that was making it difficult to get rapid confirmation of the true number of dead and injured. "There are some very high estimates, and others that are more conservative," he told a local radio station. (More Mexico stories.)