The Generalitat Firefighters maintain active the search operation to locate the driver of a van that was dragged by the Mogent river in Llinars del Vallès. The incident occurred on Friday afternoon, when the vehicle tried to cross a footbridge closed by the Local Police, located at the height of the Flamagas company.
Search operation throughout the night
Fifteen Bombers units have searched the area throughout the night, focusing on the Mogent riverbed and checking banks and vulnerable points. The search covers from the point where the van was swept away up to five kilometers downstream, passing through the mouth of the Giola stream.
This Saturday morning, the relief has been carried out with GRAE personnel, underwater GRAE, drones, and the canine unit. If weather conditions allow, aerial resources will be incorporated in the coming hours to expand the search radius.
The driver alerted before being dragged
The driver, who was not a resident of Llinars del Vallès, had time to call a friend or family member to alert the authorities when he saw that the water was already entering the cabin and he could not get out. The Firefighters received the alert through the 112 phone number around 1415 hours and immediately moved to the location.
As explained by the mayor of Llinars del Vallès, Martí Pujol, the driver had probably taken the wrong way. The footbridge he tried to cross was closed to traffic at that moment.
"The stream carried away the van in a few minutes. The place where he tried to pass is a point where the stream narrows and you cannot control the water that passes" - Martí Pujol, mayor of Llinars del Vallès
Search area and current situation
The van was dragged by the water a kilometer and a half beyond the mouth of the Giola stream. The search is concentrated on the banks and vulnerable areas of the Mogent, where rescue teams work with drones and specialized dogs. The operation remains under the coordination of the Bombers de la Generalitat and vigilance is maintained over the evolution of the flow to guarantee the safety of the personnel.