Three critically injured in bus crash near Barcelona

MADRID: Three people were critically hurt Tuesday when a bus carrying staff of fashion retailer Inditex was involved in a dramatic crash that left it embedded in the mouth of a tunnel near Barcelona.

The bus was carrying around 60 staff when it crashed near Pineda de Mar, 50 kilometres (30 miles) up the coast from Barcelona, leaving the front end of the vehicle embedded in the roof of the tunnel at a 45-degree angle, rescue service images showed.

The emergency services in the northeastern Catalonia region said they treated 47 people of whom three were in critical condition and 22 in serious condition, in a posting on X. Two of the three in critical condition were evacuated on medical helicopters.

The third, as well as all the seriously injured, were brought by ambulances to hospitals in the region.

In a separate post, the fire service said they had to work to cut free the driver who was trapped inside the vehicle.

The bus was carrying employees of Inditex, the world´s largest fashion retailer, from Barcelona to Tordera where several of its brands are based, including Bershka, Massimo Dutti and Oysho, a spokesman told AFP.