Bus plunges down ravine near Barcelona, dozens hurt

A bus fell down a 20-metre embankment on the BV-5114 road near Fogars de Montclús, in Barcelona province, on Sunday, injuring more than 40 people, Catalan emergency services said.

Emergency crews treated 83 people at the scene; 4 were in serious condition and taken to hospitals in Granollers, Girona and Barcelona's Vall d'Hebron, according to broadcaster RTVE. A further 18 were moderately hurt, with one of them also taken to hospital in Granollers, and 58 had minor injuries that did not require hospital treatment.

The bus, operated by the company Sagalés on route 573 between Sant Celoni rail station and the Montseny nature park, was carrying about 50 passengers, RTVE reported. Some passengers climbed out of the vehicle and up the embankment on their own; others had to be evacuated by rescue teams using specialist mountain equipment because of the steep, difficult terrain around the crash site.

Firefighters sent 30 units, including 2 mountain rescue specialists, to the crash site to reach the scene more quickly given the terrain. The Medical Emergency System mobilised 3 psychological support teams to help passengers cope with the shock of the crash, and Catalonia's civil protection agency opened a reception centre at Can Ramis, in nearby Sant Celoni, for those affected who were not taken to hospital.

Catalan police closed the BV-5114 in both directions to allow emergency crews to manage the scene safely, and regional authorities activated the Procicat emergency plan for transport accidents in response to the scale of the crash.

Catalan regional president Salvador Illa said he was in constant contact with the regional ministers responsible for the emergency response and thanked the services for their work. Sagalés said it was cooperating with authorities to establish the cause of the accident, which had not been determined by Sunday evening.