5 people hospitalized after dramatic bus accident in Spanish motorway tunnel

BARCELONA, Spain — A dramatic bus crash at the entrance to a highway tunnel in northeastern Spain left five people injured, three seriously, officials said Tuesday.

According to rescue workers and local authorities, the bus was on its way to a nearby factory when the accident occurred on the C-32 motorway, about an hour north of Barcelona.

Judging by the position of the bus, it hit the slope as it entered the tunnel and was thrown upwards until its front came to rest on top, lying diagonally above the tunnel entrance.

The Catalonia region’s civil protection authorities said three people in critical condition were flown by helicopter to a hospital in Barcelona. Two other people were taken to a local hospital.

The accident occurred near the town of Pineda de Mar, a coastal city on the Mediterranean. The traffic authority closed the motorway to all vehicles heading north.