13 injured after car plows into crowd of football fans at Espanyol-Barcelona derby
Warning: This article contains graphic images that some may find disturbing.
Thirteen people were left injured after a car crashed into a crowd of football fans outside the derby match between Espanyol and Barcelona on Thursday.
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Four people were hospitalised, but none were in a serious condition, according to police in Barcelona.
The match, which saw Barcelona lift their 28th La Liga title thanks to a 2-0 victory over city rivals Espanyol, was delayed for a few minutes early on because of the incident, while police briefed the referee.
Eye witnesses reportedly told local newspapers that a white peugeot drove into a crowd at around 8:30 PM.
The driver had entered an area that was meant to be closed off to traffic because of the large fan presence, as thousands of fans had gathered around the stadium.
— el pipas (@TheBlones10) May 15, 2025
The driver was arrested on the scene on suspicion of dangerous driving and causing injury.
According to witnesses, some fans complained about the car’s presence in the pedestrian area.
The driver, reported to be a woman, is then understood to have lost control of the vehicle and drove forwards and backwards repeatedly to free her car from the crowd, hitting several fans in doing so.
Some of the people that were hit were reportedly dragged along with the car for several metres.
Police posted on social media that the crowd inside the stadium was not in any danger, but the moments immediately following the incident were charged, as police wasn’t sure if it was a deliberate ramming.
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Ten ambulances rushed to the scene and attended to injured people, as police tried to de-escalate the situation.
But after an initial assessment, police said the incident was an accident, as an investigation was opened.
Salvador Illa, the Catalan regional president, said on Thursday all the injuries were “minor” and said the attack was not deliberate.
The driver, thought to be a woman between the ages of 45 and 55, was also treated on the scene for shock.
Police told the La Vanguardia newspaper that she had no criminal record, and she faces charges of dangerous driving and causing injury.