Lorraine Williamson
Seven people have been seriously injured after a bus collided with a car and plunged down a 20-metre embankment near Barcelona on Sunday afternoon. Emergency services attended to 83 people following the accident in Fogars de Montclús, in Catalonia.
Emergency services assessed 83 people at the scene, while firefighters carried out a major rescue operation involving helicopters and specialist teams.
Four seriously injured in Barcelona bus accident
The accident happened on the BV-5114 road in Fogars de Montclús, in the province of Barcelona, on Sunday 25 October. The bus, operated by transport company Sagalés, collided with a car before falling approximately 20 metres down an embankment.
According to the latest assessment from Catalonia’s Medical Emergency System (SEM), 80 people were injured. Four were classified as seriously injured, 18 sustained less serious injuries and 58 suffered minor injuries. Five people required hospital treatment, and authorities transferred patients to hospitals in Granollers, Girona and Barcelona.
Passengers rescued from steep embankment
The bus was operating the 573 service between the Fogars de Montclús information centre and Santa Fe del Montseny, a route through the Montseny Natural Park. Firefighters received the emergency call at approximately 4.43 pm and found some passengers still inside the vehicle, while others had managed to escape and climb towards the road.
Rescue teams worked to reach those trapped or stranded on the embankment, using both ground equipment and helicopters. Around 30 firefighting units were deployed during the response, including aerial resources, while emergency personnel worked to stabilise the situation and assist those injured.
Major emergency response and road closure
The emergency medical service mobilised 23 ambulances, two medical helicopters, three joint medical and firefighting teams and psychological support personnel. The scale of the response reflected the number of people involved and the difficulties of reaching the bus on the steep terrain.
Catalonia’s Civil Protection service activated the Procicat emergency plan and arranged assistance for those affected. Working with the Red Cross, it also established a reception centre at Can Ramis in Sant Celoni, where passengers and others involved in the accident could receive support.
The Mossos d’Esquadra closed the BV-5114 in both directions while emergency crews carried out their work. Investigators are examining the circumstances of the collision, and the cause of the accident has not yet been established.
Firefighters continue searching accident scene overnight
Firefighters are continuing their search around the wrecked bus in Fogars de Montclús, with 34 crews and 60 personnel remaining at the scene. Bombers de Catalunya said the operation would continue overnight to ensure that no passengers or other victims had been overlooked.
The emergency service confirmed that drones would be deployed to examine the surrounding terrain, followed by intensive searches and the use of specialist sniffer dogs. Crews plan to lift the bus on Monday, 26 October, once the search operation has progressed sufficiently. No fatalities had been confirmed at the time of the latest update.
Earlier casualty figures revised
Initial reports suggested that around 40 people had been injured, with as many as 20 potentially seriously hurt. Those preliminary assessments were subsequently revised as medical teams examined more people and established the severity of their injuries.
The latest reported figures put the total at 83 injured, including seven seriously. The casualty figures remain subject to further updates from the emergency services.