A 19-year-old University of Lleida student died in a road accident in Tamarit de Llitera, in the wider Catalonia area, after travelling back from an exam in Lleida.
The death has caused shock across the university community in Lleida, especially at the National Institute of Physical Education of Catalonia, known as Inefc Lleida, where she studied Physical Activity and Sport Sciences. Residents of Tamarit de Llitera have also expressed their grief.
Inefc held a minute of silence in her honour and issued a condolence message, saying: “We accompany her family, friends, and the entire university community during such difficult moments.” For more local coverage, see our news page.
The accident happened at 10:20am on the A-1240 road. For reasons still under investigation, the car driven by the student collided head-on with a lorry. The car overturned in the middle of the road, while the lorry ended up off the road.
The 64-year-old driver of the lorry was unharmed. The collision closed the road for several hours and traffic was diverted. Emergency services at the scene included the Guardia Civil, a fire brigade unit, a 061 ambulance and road maintenance crews. Official road information is available from the Dirección General de Tráfico and emergency service updates from 061 Salut Respon.
Authorities are continuing to investigate the exact cause of the crash. The university is expected to continue supporting students and staff affected by the death. Inefc Lleida has also faced previous tragedy, after two second-year students, aged 23 and 19, from Tarragona died on 10 December 2013 when their vehicle hit a tree on the N-240 near Montblanc while they were returning to the city. Another student was critically injured in that incident.