Espanyol fans injured as car drives into crowd prior to derby date with La Liga title winning neighbours Barcelona

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.

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."

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."

In a further update, Salvador Illa, President of the Generalitat (Catalan government), told Movistar: "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."

At least 15 people were hospitalised as a result of the incident, with 10 ambulances being sent to the scene. Most of those requiring medical treatment were left nursing minor injuries - with the most severe being a broken leg. The game finished 2-0 to Barcelona, as they confirmed their La Liga title triumph for 2024-25.