Chinchilla train collision

Chinchilla train collision
Details
Date	3 June 2003 21:40
Location	Chinchilla de Montearagón, Spain
Country	Spain
Operator	RENFE
Incident type	Train collision
Cause	Human error
Statistics
Trains	2
Deaths	19
Injured	50

The Chinchilla train collision occurred on 3 June 2003, when a passenger train and a freight train collided on the Cartagena-Albacete line in the Castilian-Manchego municipality of Chinchilla de Monte-Aragón, Albacete, Spain. The accident, caused by both trains mistakenly being put on the same track,^[1] resulted in 19 deaths and around 50 wounded.^[2]

Victims

Initially, it was estimated that 16 people were dead (five engineers from the two trains involved) along with 10 missing and 39 wounded. After the rescue, it was found that a total of 19 people were killed and 65 others injured.^[3]

Judicial process

Station master José Luis D. C. was convicted in 2006 of 19 counts of professional reckless homicide and 48 counts of professional reckless injury. He was sentenced to two years of prison and four years of absolute disqualification (which disqualifies a convict from holding public office or employment, and disallows a convict to obtain government grants, scholarships, or any public aid).^[4]

References

^ Tremlett, Giles; Madrid (5 June 2003). "19 dead in Spanish train crash". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
^ Verdad, La. ""¡Si me escuchas, detén el Talgo!"".
^ Identificadas las 19 víctimas del accidente ferroviario de Chinchilla
^ "Dos años de cárcel para el jefe de estación de Chinchilla por el choque con 19 muertes de 2003". El País. 5 June 2006.