Several fans were injured when a car drove into a crowd of people prior to Espanyol’s derby date with Catalan neighbours Barcelona.
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Fans waiting to greet team busPanicked driver lost controlNo serious injuries reportedFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
The incident occurred as home supporters waited to greet the arrival of their team bus ahead of Thursday's La Liga clash at RCDE Stadium. The driver of the vehicle in question remains under investigation.
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An initial statement from Catalan police read, as the game in question was cleared to continue: "Several people were injured near Espanyol Stadium after being struck by a vehicle. The situation is under control and in no way poses a risk to anyone inside the stadium."
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Security forces went on to state that a female driver had lost control of her vehicle after being surrounded by fans. Toni Castejon, spokesperson for Fepol of the Mossos d'Esquadra, stated that: "The incident was very serious, but (the driver) panicked because of those attacks on the car, and when someone panics, you never know how they'll react."
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In a further update, Salvador Illa, President of the Generalitat (Catalan government), told : "It was an accident, there were some injuries, none serious, fortunately. The security and assistance services reacted quickly, and the spokesperson for the Mossos d'Esquadra (Catalan police) has provided explanations to various media outlets, as far as I know, and therefore, there is no major incident to regret."