The El Virilla train accident occurred in

Costa Rica Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...

on 14 March 1926, when an overcrowded train carrying mostly farmers and laborers derailed while crossing a bridge across the Virilla River Canyon, killing 385 and injuring 93. The train was a special service booked on a Sunday for a religious pilgrimage from

Alajuela Alajuela () is a district in the Alajuela canton of the Alajuela Province of Costa Rica. As the seat of the Municipality of Alajuela canton, it is awarded the status of city. By virtue of being the city of the first canton of the province, it i ...

and Heredia to Cartago where most intended to visit the stone figurine of the La Negrita at the Basílica de Nuestra Señora de Los Ángeles, which supposedly has great healing powers. The pilgrimage was arranged by Professor Francisco Gomez Alizago, to raise money for a home for the elderly. The tickets were inscribed "For the benefit of the elderly of Cartago". A six-carriage train was arranged for the trip but proved grossly inadequate as the offer proved to be popular and was greatly over subscribed; no limit being placed on the sale of tickets with over a thousand being sold. At 7 am, three carriages arrived at Alajuela and left 30 minutes later. Further stops were made and three more carriages were added at Heredia. Despite this many people were unable to board the train, and it even skipped a later stop as it was too crowded to allow any more on. At 8:20 the train began to cross the bridge which lay on a left-hand curve. A combination of a poorly fastened rail and the excessive weight of the train caused the last carriage to derail and pulled two further carriages from the track, one of which plunged to the river below, killing 385, including Professor Alizago. The rescue work continued into the evening. Several trains returned to Alajuela and Heredia with the bodies which were left at the stations for identification by friends and families. The government declared three days of

national mourning A national day of mourning is a day or days marked by mourning and memorial activities observed among the majority of a country's populace. They are designated by the national government. Such days include those marking the death or funeral of ...

; flags flew at

half mast Half-mast or half-staff (American English) refers to a flag flying below the summit of a ship mast, a pole on land, or a pole on a building. In many countries this is seen as a symbol of respect, mourning, distress, or, in some cases, a salut ...

; cinemas, bars and other places of entertainment were closed.

References

External links

Tragedia del rio Virilla
forum post of what appears to be a newspaper article {{DEFAULTSORT:Virilla train accident Railway accidents and incidents in Costa Rica Railway accidents in 1926 1926 in Costa Rica Rail transport in Costa Rica Bridge disasters in Costa Rica Bridge disasters caused by overloading Bridge disasters caused by construction error Derailments in North America March 1926 events