Traffic on the AP-7 motorway towards Barcelona ground to a halt on Saturday afternoon after three cars collided near El Papiol. The crash occurred at around 16:05, and authorities closed the road and its connection to the B-23, disrupting traffic heading into the city.
Information from the Servei Català de Trànsit, congestion quickly built up from Sant Cugat del Vallès, with vehicles backed up for several kilometers. Emergency services, including seven units from the Bombers de la Generalitat, were sent to assist and extricate several people trapped inside the damaged vehicles. The 112 emergency hotline received the first reports shortly after the crash, and rescue teams responded quickly.
As crews cleared the wreckage and freed those inside, authorities urged motorists to avoid the area and take alternative routes. The closure of this basic section of the AP-7 affected local traffic and surrounding roads, adding to delays throughout the region. In a separate incident, another accident on the same motorway near El Vendrell in Tarragona province closed one northbound lane, further complicating travel through Catalonia.
Major accidents on Spanish highways often cause impressive traffic disruptions. In a previous case, a serious wrong-way crash on the A-62 near Dueñas left several people injured and forced authorities to close the road for hours. Such incidents show the demands emergency services face when managing complex rescues and restoring traffic on some of Spain’s busiest routes.
The AP-7 is one of the basic arteries connecting Barcelona with the rest of Catalonia and the Mediterranean corridor. Disruptions on the route can have wide-reaching effects, especially at weekends, when traffic volumes are higher. Quick intervention by emergency teams helps limit risks and protect those involved. As of Saturday evening, authorities continued to monitor the situation and coordinate efforts to reopen the affected sections as soon as possible.
