Familiars of dead cleaner in Barcelona to denounce city council if heatstroke confirmed

Family members of Montse Aguilar, a cleaner who passed away in Barcelona amid the heatwave, have threatened to file a complaint against the city council and the FCC outsourcing company if the autopsy confirms that the cause of death was heatstroke.

Aguilar died on June 28 after arriving at home and working outside, while temperatures were around 35ºC.

During a press conference on Wednesday afternoon, Clara Aguilar, Montse's sister, also regretted that the city council did not reach out to the family to give their condolences.

The family also said that they are "outraged" due to the death of Montse, aged 51 years old, and said that during the last days, they had had to listen to many "lies" and "abuse" from institutions to "not acknowledge their responsibilities."

Meanwhile, the CGT labor union listed 16 different resolutions of labor inspections against the FCC. The list included several fines from 2019 to 2024 due to the working conditions despite the high temperatures.

On Tuesday morning, deputy mayor Laia Bonet addressed the death of Montse Aguilar and said that the council will investigate the case and will "take all required decisions" with "total transparency," she said during a press statement from the city council.

She spoke during an extraordinary committee on environment and urbanism forced by opposition parties. Bonet said that the local government is reviewing all protocols for workers when there are forecasts of high temperatures.

Bonet reported that at the moment, the city council has only requested information on the route of Aguilar during her working day, her working hours, and the material that she used to work, as health conditions are "part of her private life."