Coach crash tonight at Benalmadena

[pwwm]

Coach crash at Benalmadena tonight had Finnish passengers, last I heard 8 killed and 17 injured. Lets hope they are not too serious but it sounds quite horrific. My prayers and best wishes to them all

[El Cid]

The latest report:-

The group of 46 Finnish tourists were on their way back to Málaga airport after a holiday on the Costa del Sol.

Nine people have died, one of them a seven year old girl, and 19 more have been seriously injured in a coach crash on the A7 Benalmádena bypass this evening.

It happened at 1950 at the 224 km point above Arroyo de la Miel, when the coach, carrying a group of 44 Finnish tourists, driver and co-driver, left the road and overturned, after coming into a side contact with a four wheel drive vehicle. It is a very fast downhill stretch of road and it had been raining in the area for most of the day.

The driver of the four wheel drive vehicle tested 0.5 for alcohol, double the legal maximum and is being blamed for the accident. He has been arrested following reports of a dangerous overtaking manoeuvre.

The tourists were on their way back to Málaga airport from Marbella at the end of their holiday on the Costa del Sol. The coach was from the Tui España company, and had left from Marbella, picking up tourists en route in their return to the airport. The driver is reported to be among the injured.

Nine bodies are reported to have been removed from the scene and there are 19 confirmed serious injuries, and 16 lesser injuries, according to the emergency services 112. Rescue services reached the victims by cutting a hole in the roof of the bus.

The Andalucian Health Service set up a mobile hospital at the scene, where a number of the passengers were attended to as soon as possible.

The injured were then taken to different hospitals in the province – One youngster is in the Materno Infantil, four injured are in the Carlos Haya hospital in Málaga, two have been taken to the Costa del Sol hospital in Marbella and the rest to the Civil Hospital in Málaga.

The road was closed direction Málaga for a time, leading to considerable delays in both directions on a busy Saturday night.

It is being described as the worst road accident in recent years in the province of Málaga, and is the most serious coach crash seen in Spain since November 2001 when 20 pensioners lost their lives in Huelva.

[katy]

Gosh how dreadful Where do you get local news from at this time?

[oliveview01]

How truly dreadful, I hope if the car driver was over the limit they put him inside for a long time and throw away the key.

[oliveview01]

www.malagoyhoy.es there is a report on this page

[oliveview01]

sorry typing error

www.malagahoy.es

[Beachcomber]

and here:

http://www.typicallyspanish.com/news/pu ... 6147.shtml

This is the same as Sid's report.

It's just been on BBC1 news.

[Paula]

Absolutely dreadful. And whilst I don't condone drink driving theres no evidence to say who caused it yet, the 4 x 4 driver should be charged whatever, but I have also seen coaches and trucks driving very dangerously here in bad weather.

[katy]

There is a graphic description on Diario sur. The 4x4 overtook (or is in undertook) the coach on the right at high speed, hit the right barrier and bounced back onto the bus, knocking it into the central reservation. The 4x4 then went down the embankment. Seems both drivers had been drinking The bus was doing 110KM so the 4x4 must have been doing more and the conditions were bad!

[Paula]

Thats horrendous. I don't even like getting in a taxi here as so many of them drink and drive. I've never been on a bus and certainly wouldn't get on a coach! Its enough of a problem trying to dodge the B*'s when driving yourself carefully and stone cold sober.
What a dreadful end to a holiday.

[pwwm]

I have heard that the 4x4 driver had less than the legal amount in the UK, so if in UK he would not be done for drink driving but obviously here in Spain the legal limit is much lower.
As you say what a tragic end to a holiday.

[katy]

There was another accident at 3.30am not too far away, direction cádiz! 3 seriously injured.

[Jool]

THe spanish just do not seem to know how to drive in wet conditions, they just assume it will be the same for braking and everything........spanish TV is making a lot of the 4 x 4 driver being twice the alcohol limit but it is very low here and that could be just one pint of beer. I am not condoning drink driving and never drink any alcohol if I am driving but I do think the spanish need to learn to drive in all weather conditions........and I too will not go in a spanish taxi........other than around a city centre such as GRanada for instance, but long distance where speeds can increase, no way.......