The family of Montse Aguilar, a Barcelona street cleaner who died after working in extreme heat, is still seeking answers from authorities. Aguilar died on 28 June, and a year later the judicial investigation remained stalled as the final autopsy report was still pending. Without this forensic evidence, proceedings have stopped, leaving the family in prolonged uncertainty and frustration.
Aguilar collapsed after a shift cleaning the streets of the Gothic Quarter during a spell of high temperatures. Her relatives maintain that she suffered a fatal heatstroke while on duty, but her official cause of death cannot be confirmed until the autopsy is complete. The family’s lawyer says the court cannot proceed without this evidence, leaving the case unable to move forward or assign responsibility. Barcelona City Council was also awaiting the forensic findings.
Her family’s campaign for accountability has included a public demonstration attended by about 150 people. El Nacional reported that protesters demanded justice and denounced what they called “judicial violence.” Despite repeated requests, the Ayuntamiento de Barcelona has not classified Aguilar’s death as a workplace accident. Her relatives believe her working conditions and the response to her symptoms contributed to her death. Aguilar, who had no children, worked for Fomento de Construcciones y Contratas (FCC) for three years and had complained of chest pain and intense heat in the days before the incident. On the day she died, she reported her symptoms to her supervisor, who, information from the family, advised her to drink water instead of activating the safety protocol or calling for medical help.
Medical observations shared by the family indicate that Aguilar’s heart weighed 546 grams. She had also suffered a fall at home that caused a head injury and had previously reported pain in her chest and neck. Until the autopsy is complete, these details do not establish the exact cause of death.
The family’s frustration showed at a conciliation meeting with FCC, where company representatives denied that heatstroke was the cause. The relatives maintain that extreme temperatures played a decisive role, but they are still waiting for official findings. They also report that Aguilar was removed from Social Security records a day before her death and that it took three months to receive her final salary payments.
Separate workplace-safety cases involving Barcelona’s municipal gardening service have also put heat protections under scrutiny. Metrópoli Abierta reported on 22 October 2026 that the labour inspectorate ordered the Institut de Parcs i Jardins de Barcelona to correct safety deficiencies affecting equipment and vehicles during periods of extreme heat. The report said a CGT complaint concerned 127 vehicles without air conditioning, with interior temperatures reportedly exceeding 40°C, and followed two heatstroke incidents among Parcs i Jardins workers. El Periódico separately reported an inspection finding involving 105 vehicles without air conditioning. Both accounts described a requirement for corrective action to protect workers during heat events. These cases concern a different municipal service from Aguilar’s street-cleaning work.
The broader public-health toll of heat provides context, but does not determine the cause of Aguilar’s death. Research by Imperial College London and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, reported by Catalan News and betevé, estimated that 1,587 deaths in Barcelona during summer 2026 were attributable to climate-change-driven heat. The analysis estimated 32,600 heat-related deaths across the European cities studied and placed Barcelona among those with the highest estimated toll. These are modeled population-level estimates, not a count of individually certified heat deaths or occupational fatalities. Aguilar’s cause of death remains a matter for forensic evidence.
Beyond seeking justice for Aguilar, her family hopes to prevent similar tragedies among municipal workers. They have called on city officials to experience working conditions firsthand, especially during periods of intense heat. In the Gothic Quarter, neighbors have installed a plaque at the spot where she died, drawing attention to the risks outdoor workers face.
The case has become part of a wider debate over heat exposure and workplace safety in Spain. In the separate Parcs i Jardins matter, the reported inspection intervention and union complaints show how heat-management practices for public-service workers have prompted formal scrutiny and demands for remediation. Those findings do not determine liability in Aguilar’s case, but they point to the occupational-safety issues raised by work in extreme temperatures. Similar public-safety and administrative-response concerns have arisen in other incidents, including the mass evacuations during the Madrid wildfires triggered by extreme weather conditions.
As Spain continues to experience hotter summers, Aguilar’s unresolved case has prompted calls for clear protocols and faster investigations when workplace deaths occur under hazardous conditions. Her family’s continuing wait for answers reflects the challenges authorities and employers face as they respond to climate-related risks in the labor market.
