Eight dead in several crashes across Catalonia on Carnival weekend

Fatal Carnival weekend recorded across Catalan roads, with eight people loosing their lives and one severely injured in five different accidents, according to the traffic authority (SCT).

SCT recorded crashes on the C-16 in Cercs, C-25 in Gurb, C-58 in Vacarisses and Badia del Vallès, and another one on the AP-7 near Aldea.

A sixth accident took place in the city center of Terrassa, with a 57-year-old pedestrian run over.  

One of the worst accidents took place on Saturday night on the C-25 road at Gurb, central Catalonia, approximately at midnight. A van and a car collided head-on, and both the man and a pregnant woman in the car died as a result. The driver of the van was injured.

Later on Saturday to Sunday night, on the C-58 road at Vacarisses, in the Vallès county, a car ran off the road at around 1am and its driver, a 39-year-old man, died. A few hours later, in Badia del Vallès, on the same road, a car run over a 24-year-old woman resident in Sabadell. On the same accident, a 25-year-old woman was severely injured, and passed away in hospital.

Not far from this site on the same road, in Badia del Vallès, also in the Vallès area, another accident also resulted in a person losing their lives and another one ended up very seriously injured. Also, the incident led to a collision with an individual.

Another accident took place in AP-7 highway, at l'Aldea, in the Ebre river delta region, at 6.30am. A vehicle collided with a broken-down vehicle, and a 24-year-old woman from the latter vehicle, who was outside the vehicle, was run over and died. Five more people ended up injured, and one of them critically.

On the C-16 road, two cars frontally crashed, with a 59-year-old passenger loosing her life.

Catalonia's roads have registered 29 fatalities so far in 2025.

The traffic authority defined the Carnival weekend as "fatal" across Catalonia and talked about their "highest worries" for the increase seen in the number of young victims.

"Until 2024, we were worried of those aged 55 years or older, and now we are talking of a younger age gap," Ramon Lamiel, the authority director, told media outlets on Sunday.

"Half of the victims are under 35 years old, and a lot of them were aged between 20 and 29 years," he added.

Authorities highlight three main factors behind the increase of accidents such as "alcohol, speed, and distraction," Lamiel added, and asked to not drive if someone has been drinking. "We will soon publish a study on alcoholic behavior and we can prove it has increased, and if the allowed drinking threshold is reduced, we will see more positive tests," he added.