emergency services

Explosion occurred in Montsolís de la Verneda industrial estate in north of city

Local police arrest 9 people in relation to incident

Solidarity from members of the public included free taxi rides and hotel rooms, legal help and giving water to police officers

The Spanish Government gave the green light on Friday for the bill for the ‘Law on National Security’, amid criticism from Catalan political parties. The new text foresees the Spanish Government taking control of police corps run by the Autonomous Community executives, such as the Catalan Government’s Mossos d’Esquadra, and the local police run by municipalities. This shift of powers would happen if a State of Emergency was to be declared in a particular area due to a natural disaster or in order “to defend Spain” or its “Constitutional values”. Thus, PM Mariano Rajoy is passing a law that would allow the Spanish Government to take control of the Catalan Police if the independence process was to go too far for Madrid’s liking. Besides this, the new bill also establishes powers in some important areas such as cyber security, maritime safety and financial security, among others.

A 13-year old pupil has entered his classroom carrying a crossbow on Monday morning in Barcelona. The pupil first attacked his teacher and a student who happened to be the daughter of the teacher. Then, he fatally stabbed a substitute teacher who came after hearing people screaming. The 4 people wounded are not in a serious condition. The young aggressor has been arrested and transferred to a psychiatric unit of the Sant Joan de Déu children’s hospital. According to the Spanish Penal Code, any minor under 14 cannot be charged with a crime. All schools and high schools in Catalonia will hold 5 minutes of silence on Tuesday. The Catalan Government has declared 1 official day of mourning and has suspended all official events for this Monday and Tuesday.

Barcelona El Prat has been the main centre in Catalonia for assisting the relatives of the passengers flying on the Germanwings aircraft between the Catalan airport and Düsseldorf that crashed in the Alps this morning. 150 people were on board and, most likely, there will not be any survivors, according to French authorities. Teams of psychologists, social workers and first responders, from the Catalan Government, the Red Cross and professional associations have been deployed at Terminal 2. Lufthansa, the owner of Germanwings, attended more than 150 relatives and booked nearby hotels to host them during the upcoming days. The flight was regularly used by Germans working in Catalonia as well as by tourists. A group of 16 German high school students was on board, after spending an exchange week in the Greater Barcelona area. At least 31 Catalans were also travelling to Düsseldorf on this flight, many of them to attend a trade fair. Catalan authorities have declared 3 official days of mourning.

Emergency Medical Services of Catalonia (SEM) will be equipped with 160 people, 38 ambulances and 4 hospital tents for Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to Barcelona. Thousand of people, most of them old, are expected to be on the streets and in the events scheduled. Barcelona is getting ready for the Pope’s visit taking place on Saturday 6th and Sunday 7th of November to bless the Sagrada Família church.

Catalonia and Andorra are working together to develop juridical framework for attending to patients in both territories. The agreement would allow the sharing of patient records and information so that Catalans and Andorrans may seek out medical services more easily when being in the other side of the border.

There has been a drop in mortality in Catalonia despite a growing population. The Minister for Health, Marina Geli, says this might be an effect of speedier emergency services.