Overturned Lorry Sheds Trailer Load Of Pigs Across Barcelona’s AP-7 Motorway

AN accident occurred near the Barcelona municipality of Santa Perpetua de Mogoda involving a lorry transporting pigs which collided with a private car on the AP-7.

The incident that took place on Monday, July 31 resulted in the motorway being closed in the northbound direction. This created traffic jams of up to 14 km. There were also long queues to the south, between the aforementioned point of the accident and Mollet del Vallés.

Pigs were seen running down the motorway

Motorists caught up in the accident witnessed the unusual sight of pigs running down the motorway after the large-tonnage lorry overturned and shed its load, as reported by the Catalan Traffic Service (SCT) on social networks.

As a result of the accident, the Generalitat deployed eight ground crews of firefighters to the location to extinguish the ensuing fire that broke out in the driver’s cab. A helicopter was also dispatched to give an aerial report on the proceedings.

A tweet from the Catalonian Fire Brigade read: ‘We have activated 8 ground resources and a helicopter #bomberscat for the accident on the AP-7 in Santa Perpètua de Mogoda where a passenger car and a lorry loaded with pigs collided, which overturned and the cabin caught fire. At the moment, the fire is already extinguished’.

Hem activat 8 dotacions terrestres i un helicòpter #bomberscat per l'accident a l'AP-7 a Santa Perpètua de Mogoda on han xocat un turisme i un camió carregat de porcs, el qual ha bolcat i se li ha encès la cabina.
En aquests moments, l'incendi ja està apagat. https://t.co/qTZ04DN5LW pic.twitter.com/VfHjnFJQ6X

— Bombers (@bomberscat) July 31, 2023

After the collision, the pigs managed to escape from the lorry’s trailer pens, subsequently invading the entire width of the motorway between Barberá del Vallés and Santa Perpetua de Mogoda. The necessary resources were deployed to recover the animals and to remove the lorry and its debris from the road.

The motorway was closed for several hours

The event caused large traffic jams on the Catalan motorway, which was closed for several hours. This meant that drivers had to use alternative routes such as the C-16 and C-25 to continue their journeys.

Once the pigs were rounded up and removed from the road, the lanes heading in the direction of Tarragona could be reopened.

However, the traffic jams to the north lasted a lot longer, especially after another accident occurred, this time in Cardedeu, which again forced a northbound lane on the AP-7 to be cut for some time, as reported by okdiario.com.