As more details gradually become available it is now known that the driver of the truck that overturned and burst into flames in the AP-7 tunnel at kilometre 272, close to Pilar de la Horadada on Friday morning was a 55-year-old man from a village close to Valencia.
The vehicle is now said to have been heading to Cartagena, transporting steel pipes, when the driver lost control of the vehicle after one of the truck’s tires burst while passing through the tunnel.
The truck overturned onto the driver’s side, trapping him inside the cab. He died at the scene as the vehicle caught fire. The fire was intensified by the truck’s own fuel and the enclosed nature of the tunnel, producing large flames and thick smoke that filled the entire structure.
Another truck was also inside the tunnel at the time but was not affected by the fire. Its driver managed to exit safely.
Fire crews from Torrevieja, Almoradí, Orihuela, and Elche were deployed to the scene to secure and evacuate the tunnel. No additional casualties have been reported. Significant traffic jams have formed on the Alicante-Cartagena route as a result.
Emergency services received the alert at 9:56 a.m., and the fire was brought under control by 11:01 a.m., then fully extinguished at 11:57 a.m. The Emergency Coordination Centre dispatched both an advanced life support unit and a basic support unit to the scene.
The crash coincided with ongoing work by the Ministry of Transport to upgrade tunnel lighting system. Witnesses confirmed that no workers were inside the tunnel at the time of the accident.
The 800-meter-long tunnel handles around 19,000 vehicles daily. While not particularly hazardous, it has seen several incidents in recent years. In January last year, a van caught fire at the same location, forcing authorities to close the tunnel. In 2023, two people died in a collision involving a van and a car driving nearly two kilometres in the wrong direction.
Ministry Delays AP-7 Tunnel Works Following Fatal Accident
As a result of the fatal accident, the Ministry of Transport has postponed the planned construction works that were due to get underway on Monday in the AP-7 tunnel.
Just hours after the crash, the Ministry cancelled its earlier announcement that the northbound lane of the tunnel would be closed from Monday until May 25. The decision was made out of caution following the fatal incident.
The improvement project, aimed at increasing energy efficiency through smart lighting systems, is being carried out between kilometers 770 and 774 of the AP-7 motorway, on the Crevillent–Cartagena section.
The current infrastructure project, with a budget of €3.5 million, aims to modernize the tunnel’s lighting and safety systems. Upgrades include improved power supply, emergency lighting, evacuation signage, emergency stations, public address systems, fire hydrant networks, ventilation, automatic fire detection cameras, traffic counters, and tunnel closure barriers.
Emergency services continued working for several hours after the accident to remove the burnt-out truck, causing traffic delays on the N-332—the alternative free route that runs parallel to the AP-7 in this area.
