A car accident leaves thirteen injured outside Espanyol's stadium.

BarcelonaA major scare occurred outside the RCDE Stadium in Cornellà minutes before the derby between Barça and Espanyol. According to sources from the Mossos d'Esquadra (Catalan police), it was believed to be an accident. Thirteen people were injured, nine minor injuries and four less seriously. The driver, a 33-year-old woman, has been arrested.

The incident began when the car found itself traveling through an area full of blue and white fans and became trapped between the crowd and two garbage containers that the fans had placed in the middle of the road. There, tensions escalated, with many people heckling the driver, throwing objects at the car and breaking some windows. Amid the tension and with the Mossos d'Esquadra (Catalan police) trying to control the situation, the driver lost control and ran over several people in front of her.

The president of the Generalitat (Catalan government), Salvador Illa, who was at the stadium to follow the match, confirmed during halftime that it was an accident and that no one was seriously injured. One of the people hit was the son of the mayor of Badalona, ​​​​Xavier Garcia Albiol. City Hall sources explained that he is fine, but that the vehicle ran over his foot. A Mossos d'Esquadra officer and the driver of the vehicle were also injured.

The Emergency Medical System (SEM) has reported that it has activated ten ambulances to treat the injured. Two of the four less seriously injured were transferred to the Moisès Broggi Hospital in Sant Joan Despí, and the other two to Bellvitge Hospital. Of the nine minor injuries, three were taken to San Juan de Dios Hospital and one left on his own. The other five continued to be treated by the SEM.

The match is not suspended

The match hadn't even reached the 10th minute when Joan Garcia, Espanyol's goalkeeper, stopped the game because he saw the supporters behind his goal demanding his attention. Dozens of Espanyol supporters, members of the Curva RCDE, were demanding that the match be stopped due to the mass incident that had occurred near the RCDE Stadium. The stadium's PA system had just announced that the incident was under control "with no serious injuries." Referee César Soto Grado then went to the dugout area to request more information from the relevant authorities. After speaking briefly with a Mossos d'Esquadra official, he indicated that the match should continue. However, the decision did not go down well with the members of the Curva RCDE, many of whom left the stadium in protest.