A serious road crash occurred on the A-66 motorway near Ribera de Arriba in Asturias, resulting in one fatality and multiple injuries. A 40-year-old man died, and four others were hurt as the incident unfolded shortly after 06:30 in the morning while the traffic was traveling toward Oviedo. Four vehicles were involved, including three passenger cars and a truck, at kilometer 35,800. The highway was shut down and traffic was diverted via the N-630 and AS-I routes. The collision started when a car traveling in the opposite direction crossed onto the highway.
The deceased was identified as Juan Jose Fernandez Jiménez, a 40-year-old resident of Mieres, who was en route to Pravia in the morning toward work when the other vehicle crossed into the lane and caused the fatal impact.
The injured were transported to the Asturias Central University Hospital, known as HUCA. Among the injured, two men aged 29 and 28 faced the most serious conditions and were airlifted to safety by two mobile units of the emergency medical system, one coming from Oviedo and the other from Langreo. The remaining two patients included a 45-year-old man who suffered a minor anxiety episode and a 29-year-old man with eye injuries and cuts to the hands and face.
Firefighters helped extricate those trapped in the vehicles. Teams from the Principality of Asturias Emergency Service, SEPA, based in Mieres and La Morgal, arrived at the scene along with the head of the central district. Because the incident occurred near a border area, Oviedo firefighters were alerted and dispatched, and medical teams from SAMU mobilized UVIS paramedics in Oviedo and Langreo, as well as life-support ambulances in Oviedo and Llanera.
One of the two deceased and the critically injured were rescued from their vehicles with the assistance of firefighters. The crews from Mieres cleared debris and helped separate the victims, while a paramedic from a UVIS unit assisted the other seriously injured person. After receiving the necessary clearance, the body of the deceased driver in the other car was recovered and removed.
Those in the other two vehicles sustained minor injuries. The Civil Guard coordinated the situation, with personnel from the N-630 route assisting the site clearance and traffic diversion. One of these individuals was a truck driver, and the other was a driver from the second car involved in the collision.
Emergency communications center 112 Asturias received multiple calls, with the first at 06:34. Reports described a vehicle traveling on the highway near El Caleyo, then colliding with another car and leaving people injured and stranded.
SEPA Firefighters from Mieres and La Morgal, together with the Central District Head, were mobilized to the accident site. Given the proximity to regional borders, Oviedo firefighters were also notified and deployed. Simultaneously, SAMU alerted and deployed UVIS paramedics from Oviedo and Langreo, plus essential life support ambulances in Oviedo and Llanera. The incident was also communicated to the Civil Traffic Guard which directed procedures to secure the scene and close the highway, redirecting traffic to the N-630. The event was reported to those responsible for road maintenance.
In total, seven Civil Traffic Protection patrols and one Safety Patrol from the Riosa outpost joined the response along with a SEPA unit, illustrating a coordinated, multi-agency effort to manage the accident scene and restore traffic flow as quickly as possible.