Four people seriously injured after bus crash on C-32 in Tordera

Several people were injured after a bus crashed on Tuesday morning on the C-32 highway between Tordera and the coastal town of Pineda de Mar.

Initially, three people were hospitalized with critical injuries, another 11 with serious injuries and three with less serious injuries, according to the Catalan Emergency Service (SEM).

As of 5 pm, in the latest update from the health department, the condition of the three victims with critical injuries improved, and are now listed as in 'serious condition.'

Many of the victims initially considered in 'serious condition' or 'less serious condition' have also improved and some are already being discharged. 

After the accident, the victims were sent to various hospitals in Catalonia, including Barcelona (Vall d'Hebron), Badalona (Can Ruti), Girona (Doctor Trueta), Blanes and Mataró.

The bus was carrying 52 passengers, all employees of the Spanish retail giant Inditex, on their way to the company's logistics base in Tordera.

Emergency services received the call just before 9 am and dispatched 26 units of firefighters, nine ambulances and two medical helicopters to the area.

All passengers and the driver were eventually evacuated after some were trapped inside the bus.

Apart from those who needed immediate hospitalization, the rest of the passengers were taken to the Can Xaubet sports center in Pineda de Mar, where they received medical and psychological care.

"It has been a very severe accident," Ramon Lamiel, head of the Catalan traffic service, told media outlets on-site. He said that this accident, added to several others reported on Monday on the AP-7 highway, will complicate traffic for the upcoming days.

"We expect to take the bus out between Tuesday and Wednesday, which will force authorities to block the road completely," he added.

The accident occurred at the entrance to the tunnel that connects Tordera and Santa Susanna, near Pineda de Mar, at kilometer 125 of the C-32 highway.

The lane to Girona was closed and trapped cars were directed backwards, until circulation was restored again around 11 pm.

Due to the position in which the bus crashed against the upper part of the tunnel, emergency services had to work all day to clear the area and restore circulation. 

The C-32 in the opposite direction, towards Barcelona, operates normally.

Catalan police Mossos d'Esquadra have launched an investigation to determine the causes of the accident.  

According to witnesses, the accident happened suddenly. Ricardo, the brother of one of the victims, who was on her first day at Inditex, told the Catalan news agency (ACN) of his sister's experience.

"She does not remember much. She suffered a blow to the head, but she was able to get out of the bus on her own and was conscious the whole time," he said.