Plane and helicopter crash drill in Barcelona airport

Dozens of emergency service units were deployed on Wednesday morning at Barcelona airport for the drill of a crash between a plane and a helicopter.

The exercises promoted by civil protection and Spain's airport manager AENA were planned to test the different coordination among emergency teams.

The simulated incident occurred under unknown circumstances when a helicopter lost control and crashed into a commercial plane parked at the airport, which was destined for a country outside the Schengen area.

The impact resulted in multiple injuries of varying severity, as well as several fatalities.

Firefighters were the first to respond to the crash, extinguishing the fire, securing the area, and conducting initial triage of the injured. 

The most seriously injured were evacuated by helicopter, while the remaining victims received care from emergency services on site. 

The exercise provided an opportunity to practice improvements in psychological triage and assistance register, as well as to test recently implemented operational changes.

The exercise was coordinated on site by the Advanced Command Center (CCA) and was followed live by the Crisis Committee, with the presence of the interior minister, Núria Parlón, as well as Spanish government delegates and all the heads of the emergency services.

Civil Guard police force was responsible for overseeing the formal investigation of the aerial accident involving victims. They also carried out the recovery of the bodies and the identification of the deceased.

The Spanish police, responsible for airport and border security, were also tasked with maintaining security in the restricted area, controlling access to the facilities and managing overall security operations at the airport.

The National Police and Catalan Mossos d'Esquadra also participated by assisting the occupants of the plane involved in the accident and ensuring security at the access points to the accident area.

After the exercise, interior minister Núria Parlón said that the exercise made it possible to test the effectiveness of protocols, evaluate the integration of all participants and assess the adequacy of response times. 

"This is an important exercise for Civil Protection and airport services, so that if we are ever faced with such a situation, we can provide the best possible response," she said.