Two buses packed with tourists collided on a busy avenues in Barcelona on Monday, injuring at least 51 people, four of them critically including a minor, officials said.
One bus was parked and picking up passengers on Avinguda Diagonal, one of Barcelona’s widest and most significant thoroughfares, when the other smashed into it from behind, deputy mayor Albert Batlle told reporters at the scene of the accident.
‘There are four critically injured, including a minor, and three less seriously injured. The rest have suffered less serious injuries for which they are being treated in various hospitals in Barcelona,’ he added.
One bus was carrying a group who arrived on a cruise ship and were visiting Barcelona’s iconic Sagrada Familia basilica, while the other bus involved was coming from Lloret de Mar (Selva), bringing Italian students on a visit to the Catalan capital.
The crash occurred slightly after 3pm near the junction of Carrer Rosselló and Carrer Roger de Llúria, near the Casa de les Punxes.
The cause of the accident is under investigation.
Dozens of emergency units were deployed to the scene, including local police, 10 firefighter units, and 19 medical emergency groups.
It comes as Barcelona and much of Spain were lashed by rain and it snarled traffic in Barcelona on the opening day of the annual Mobile World Congress (MWC), the world’s largest wireless technology showcase which is set to draw around 100,000 attendees. ALSO READ: AI and trade tensions take centre stage at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.
The four critically injured patients include a pedestrian who was in the area as well as a 17-year-old passenger of one of the buses, said Clara Canela, a spokeswoman for emergency services in the northeastern region of Catalonia.
SEM health emergency units moved three critially injured patients to Hospital Clínic, Sant Pau hospital, and Hospital del Mar. A fourth person critically injured was trapped inside one of the buses, before being moved to the Vall d’Hebron hospital.
Emergency services treated 66 individuals, 12 of whom were unharmed. Aside from the critical and seriously injured patients, the others sustained minor injuries and were transferred to various hospitals across the city.
Both buses were removed by 7.30pm on Monday evening. A statement from Julià, one of the coach companies, said that the incident took place when their coach was parked in an authorised area for passenger drop-off and pick-up.
🔴 Un menor d’edat, de 17 anys, entre els quatre ferits crítics en l’accident a la Diagonal.
— RTVE Notícies (@rtvenoticies) March 3, 2025
👉 Tres d’ells són d’un dels autocars i l’altre un vianant, segons els serveis d’emergències | @RTVECatalunya pic.twitter.com/JCQ3wioFSE
🟢 Última hora de l’accident entre dos autocars a la Diagonal de Barcelona amb més de trenta ferits, quatre en estat crític amb Bernat Rexach i Júlia Torramadé#LaSelva3Cat
— 3Cat (@som3cat) March 3, 2025
▶ https://t.co/4Ye7qlavd5 pic.twitter.com/fTvx5ACI8v
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