Six dead, including two agents, when a truck runs over a drug control in Seville

The accident would result from a possible "distraction" of the driver, in provisional prison for six crimes of reckless homicide

SEVILLA, 19 Mar. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The early hours of this Tuesday left one of the most serious traffic accidents in recent memory in the province of Seville, when an articulated truck ran over a drug control that the Civil Guard had installed at kilometer 24 in the direction Seville on the AP-4 highway, in the municipality of Los Palacios and Villafranca. The accident, the result of a "distraction or oversight" by the truck driver, perhaps even a "drowsiness" on the part of the truck driver, has resulted in the death of six people, specifically two Civil Guard agents and four civilians whose private cars were stopped in the control.

The accident occurred around 4:40 in the morning at kilometer 24 of the Seville direction of the AP-4 highway, in Los Palacios, where the Rapid Action Group (GAR) of the Civil Guard had installed an interception control of transfers of narcotic substances, made up of a total of 17 agents, double the minimum of eight officers established by the Armed Institute protocol for this type of devices.

Although the control was at a point of "visibility" on the highway and was duly signposted, according to the subdelegate of the central government in Seville, Francisco Toscano Rodero, it was "swept away" in his words by an articulated truck loaded with horticultural products that had left from La Línea de la Concepción (Cádiz) to Guarromán (Jaén).

While the commander of the Civil Guard Rafael Jiménez Onetti explained to the media at the scene of the accident that the possibility of "drowsiness or lack of attention" of the truck driver as possible causes of the accident would be investigated, the subdelegate of the central government has reiterated that it is a "road accident due to accidental causes", alluding to "a distraction, a flash or a mistake" by the truck driver, who before the collision only applied "a sudden brake or swerve" directing the vehicle towards the shoulder , but without preventing it from hitting three GAR patrol cars and two private cars.

As a consequence, two Civil Guard GAR agents and four more people who were in the private vehicles stopped during the control have died.

Thanks to what transpired during the day, the deceased agents are First Corporal Eneko of the GAR, 37 years old, who had his residence in Vitoria (Álava) although he was a native of Baracaldo (Vizcaya); and the civil guard Juan Jesús, 34 years old, resident of El Ejido, in the province of Almería.

The four deceased civilians are a 47-year-old resident of Dos Hermanas (Seville), a 50-year-old resident of Barbate (Cádiz), a 53-year-old citizen of Ceuta and a 20-year-old young man initially of foreign nationality and who would reside in Vizcaya.

There are also five injured, all members of the Civil Guard. Two of them have suffered minor injuries and have gone to health centers on their own, while three others are more serious and are admitted to hospital centers.

One of them, the most serious, would suffer a bilateral pneumothorax and other trauma and would be admitted to the Virgen del Rocío hospital; while another would be affected with a fracture in a leg and a last injured person would suffer a fracture of the femur and also injuries to the pancreas and liver. These last two injured people would be being treated at the Valme hospital.

The driver of the truck, 59 years old, Spanish national, with no criminal record and who has returned a negative result in alcohol and drug tests, has spent this Tuesday morning in court. After hearing him as investigated, the Court of First Instance and Instruction number one of Utrera, acting as guard, has ordered, at the request of the Prosecutor's Office, his entry into provisional prison, communicated and without bail, as reported by the Superior Court of Justice of Andalusia (TSJA).

Initially, six alleged crimes of reckless homicide and three crimes of serious injuries due to recklessness are attributed to him, since the case itself will be handled by the Court of First Instance and Instruction number four of Utrera, which was on duty when the events occurred. .

The incident has motivated numerous reactions from the authorities and institutional representatives, with condolences from the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez; the president of the Junta de Andalucía, Juanma Moreno; the president of the Seville Provincial Council, Javier Fernández; the mayor of Seville, José Luis Sanz; and the first mayor of Los Palacios and Villafranca, Juan Manuel Valle, among others.

The Civil Guard, for its part, has regretted the six deaths with special mention of its two agents who died in the act of duty, while the Ministry of the Interior has also "deeply" regretted all of these deaths, with its corresponding condolences to the families of the victims. victims.

The delegate of the central government in Andalusia, Pedro Fernández, has also expressed his condolences and has indicated that the authorities are "very attentive to the evolution of the injured."

The Unified Association of the Civil Guard (AUGC), the Professional Association of the Civil Guard (Jucil) and the Spanish Association of Civil Guards (AEGC) have also expressed their regret for the accident and have shown their condolences to the families of the deceased agents and of the rest of the victims. In addition, they have demanded a "deep" investigation of the facts, more human and material resources for the Benemérita and that the profession of the troops be declared high risk.

This tragedy is added by the way to the recent death of two civil guards, one of them also from the GAR, when they were run over by a drug boat in the port of Barbate (Cádiz) when they were participating in an operation against drug trafficking.