Mossos investigate if the Fogars de Montclús bus was overloaded

The investigation seeks to determine if the bus that fell down a 20-metre slope in Fogars de Montclús exceeded its capacity. Medical personnel have treated 87 people, seven of whom are in serious condition.

A vehicle from the line 573 of Sagalés ended up in a 20-metre ravine in Montseny during the day on Sunday, 25 October. The accident left dozens injured, and now the investigation aims to clarify how the fall occurred and how many people were actually on board.

The route connects Sant Celoni with Santa Fe del Montseny and the bus has a capacity of 65 seated passengers. According to Santi Lleonart, inspector of the Bombers de la Generalitat, several passengers boarded at intermediate stops, such as the one near the Fontmartina campsite, so some had to travel standing. Initial reports mention at least eighty people, although the number could reach one hundred.

Precisely because of this excess of passengers, the Mossos d'Esquadra are trying to confirm whether the vehicle exceeded the maximum allowed capacity. This uncertainty currently prevents an exact count of the occupants at the time of the incident. The agents are also trying to establish what caused the vehicle to leave the road and whether another vehicle was involved that the bus might have collided with beforehand.

Emergency services sent more than 50 units from the Bombers de la Generalitat and the Sistema d'Emergències Mèdiques (SEM), as well as four helicopters. Medical personnel treated 87 people: 49 with minor injuries, 31 with less serious injuries, and seven in serious condition. The injured were taken to hospitals in Granollers, Mataró, Josep Trueta in Girona, Parc Taulí in Sabadell, Vall d'Hebron, and Sant Pau in Barcelona.

Initially, there were fears that there might be more injured or a fatality. However, the search with drones, thermal cameras, and canine guides ruled out that anyone was trapped under the vehicle or had fallen out due to broken glass. According to the firefighters, the likelihood of there being more victims is very high:

“With a very high probability” there are no people trapped under the bus.

The removal of the bus is scheduled for Monday morning. Once removed, a new search will be conducted in the area to confirm that no one else is affected. Residents around Fogars de Montclús and along the route of line 573 should be aware of possible road closures during the removal operations.