13 foreign students killed in Spanish bus crash

A bus carrying university students back from Spain’s largest fireworks festival crashed on a highway in the north-east of the country, killing 13 passengers and injuring 30 others, including two Irish students.

Initially, regional government spokesman Jordi Jane said 14 had died in the crash, but interior minister Jorge Fernandez Diaz later confirmed the death toll was 13.

He said 28 passengers received medical treatment in local hospitals and others received first aid at the crash site.

The bus, which was carrying 57 passengers, appeared to have hit the right-hand side barriers of the AP7 highway before cartwheeling across the road and slamming into the central fence, landing on its side, said Mr Jane, spokesman for Spain’s Catalonia province.

Television images from state broadcaster TVE showed the bus also crashed into an oncoming car on the opposite side of the highway.

The bus driver was being held at a police station in the city of Tortosa, Mr Jane said. Road conditions were good at the time of the accident and investigators were looking into the cause of the crash, he said.

Mr Fernandez Diaz said the driver passed alcohol and drug tests.

The major highway linking Spain with France along the Mediterranean coast was closed in both directions following the crash which took place near Freginals, halfway between Valencia and Barcelona.

Mr Jane said the students — part of the Erasmus exchange programme — had travelled to Valencia to take part in the renowned Fallas fireworks festival and were returning to Barcelona when the bus crashed.

The minister said students were of several nationalitiesand most were studying at two universities in Barcelona.

The Erasmus programme provides foreign exchange courses for students from countries within the 28-nation EU and enables them to attend many of the continent’s best universities.

The Fallas festival is held each year in Valencia on the feast day of St Joseph and draws thousands of tourists.

Large wooden monuments and effigies representing famous people often in humourous postures that local workshops take a year to build are burned in a colourful ceremony accompanied by a barrage of fireworks.