A truck overturned this Friday in the AP-7 tunnel in Pilar de la Horadada, at kilometer 272 toward Cartagena. A tire reportedly burst as it passed through the tunnel.
The driver lost control of the vehicle, which overturned sideways and caught fire. He was trapped in the cab and tragically died.
The combination of the truck’s load of flammable materials and the fact that the truck remained in the tunnel significantly increased the fire danger. This resulted in a large amount of flames and smoke spreading throughout the tunnel infrastructure.
Another truck parked in the tunnel was also affected by the fire but was unable to continue. Fortunately, the driver was able to get to safety.
Rescue personnel from Torrevieja, Almoradí, Orihuela, and Elx are on site and working to evacuate the rest of the tunnel. According to various sources, no further casualties have been confirmed. Significant traffic jams are occurring on the highway heading towards Alicante-Cartagena.
The fire department received the first notification at 9:56 a.m., alerting residents to the large-scale operation. The fire was deemed under control at 11:01 a.m. and extinguished at 11:57 a.m.
The Emergency Information and Coordination Center mobilized a SAMU unit and a basic lifesaving unit.
The accident coincided with the lighting change being carried out by the Ministry of Transport. However, several witnesses reported that personnel were not in the tunnel when the vehicles collided.
Nuestro más sentido pésame a los allegados del conductor fallecido en el grave accidente declarado hoy en el túnel de la AP-7 en Pilar de la Horadada. #cpba sofocó con hasta 8 dotaciones el incendio, movilizando 6 parques para darlo por extinguido cerca de las 12 de esta mañana pic.twitter.com/JZuVZVjxF9
— Consorcio Provincial Bomberos Alicante (@BomberosDipuALC) May 9, 2025
This 800-meter-long tunnel, which is used by an average of 19,000 vehicles daily, is not considered particularly dangerous, but there have been numerous accidents in the past. In January of last year, a fire broke out in a delivery truck at the same time, causing traffic disruption.
In 2023, two drivers died after a delivery truck collided with a car traveling nearly two kilometers against the direction of travel. A 24-year-old man also died when he collided with the median barrier in the tunnel.
The work being carried out is part of a €3.5 million project initiated by the Ministry to modernize the lighting and safety systems. This investment includes, among other things, the renewal of the power supply, emergency lighting, evacuation signage, emergency call points, public address system, hydrant network, ventilation systems, as well as the installation of new automatic fire detection cameras, traffic deflectors, and tunnel barriers outside.
The tunnel’s lighting system will also be modified to improve energy efficiency through the installation of an intelligent control and regulation system. This requires upgrading the current VSAP luminaires to dimmable LED devices.
The intelligent lighting management system enables continuous adjustment of lighting conditions depending on the external luminance and the occupancy level of the tunnel.
