A devastating bus collision in Barcelona on Monday afternoon left at least 53 people injured, four of them in critical condition. The incident occurred at the intersection of Roger de Llúria and Roselló streets when one bus, reportedly crashed into the rear of another that was stationary while boarding cruise ship passengers.
Among the injured are cruise travelers from Italy, Great Britain, and Germany returning from a tour of Sagrada Familia. Officials have not yet confirmed which of the two cruise ships docked in Barcelona—the Windstar Cruises' Star Legend or Costa Toscana—the passengers were from.
Authorities were alerted to the crash at 2:57 p.m., prompting a quick response from emergency teams. The Medical Emergency System (SEM) dispatched 10 firefighter units, 19 ambulances, and multiple support teams to the scene. Four critically injured individuals were rushed to hospitals across the city, including Hospital Clínic, Hospital de Sant Pau, Hospital del Mar, and Hospital del Vall d'Hebron. Among them was a tour guide assisting the cruise passengers and a pedestrian struck by the impact of the collision.
Additionally, four individuals sustained serious but non-life-threatening injuries and were admitted to local hospitals, while 45 others were treated on-site or transported to nearby health centers for further evaluation.
The crash reportedly occurred when a bus operated by the F. Canals company, transporting a group of Italian students from Lloret de Mar, crushed into a Juliá company coach, which was parked in an authorized zone for passenger pick-up. The force of the impact propelled the stationary bus forward several meters, causing it to collide with a lamppost and a tree.
The Barcelona City Council’s deputy mayor for Prevention and Security, Albert Batlle, confirmed that a formal investigation has been launched to determine the exact cause of the crash.
The operator of the stationary bus, released an official statement:
"The accident on Diagonal Avenue involved one of our coaches performing a discretionary passenger transport service for a cruise company. At the time of the accident, it was stopped in an authorized loading and unloading area when, for reasons still under investigation, a coach from the company F. Canals (Lloret, Girona) hit the back of our vehicle, propelling it forward several meters and causing it to strike a lamppost and tree."
