The AP-7 motorway between Estepona and San Pedro Alcántara has fully reopened following the tragic accident involving a tanker truck that left two fatalities and forced the closure of 15 kilometres of road.
Drivers travelling through the Western Costa del Sol regained normalcy on the AP-7 this Tuesday after the motorway was closed for over 14 hours due to the fatal accident that occurred on Monday afternoon in the municipality of Benahavís. The concessionary company Ausol confirmed that the road reopened completely around 8:00 AM, two hours earlier than initially planned.
The incident, in which two people died, occurred around 17:50 at kilometre 1069 of the AP-7, heading towards Málaga. A tanker truck loaded with fuel collided with a crane assisting a broken-down car and a taxi waiting for its passengers. The large vehicle overturned, blocking the roadway and caught fire, igniting a blaze that spread to the nearby vegetation, close to the Botanical Park.
Non-stop emergency operation
The incident mobilised numerous emergency services. Guardia Civil, Local Police, and Firefighters from various stations, including those from Marbella and Estepona, responded to the scene, along with Infoca and the Provincial Fire Consortium. Helicopters from 061 were also deployed to attend to the injured, who were transported to the Costa del Sol Hospital in Marbella, the Regional Hospital of Málaga, and Punta Europa in Algeciras (Cádiz).
The flames, fuelled by the truck's fuel, spread to the nearby wooded area, which had already suffered a forest fire days earlier that forced the evacuation of around 2,000 residents. Extinguishing teams worked for hours to prevent the fire from reaching the Botanical Park and nearby homes.
The closure affected thousands of drivers on the Costa del Sol
The accident caused a complete closure of the AP-7 in both directions for approximately three hours. After 20:00, one lane heading towards Cádiz was reopened, followed by the second, restoring traffic towards the Cádiz province. However, the two lanes heading towards Málaga remained closed to allow for the removal of the truck's wreckage and the cleaning of the asphalt, tasks that continued throughout the night.
Technicians from Ausol and the special transport company of the crashed truck worked tirelessly to expedite the reopening. The concessionary highlighted the efforts of the teams, who managed to advance the reopening initially scheduled for 10:00 this Tuesday. During the closure, drivers had to divert to the A-7, causing significant delays on one of the main arteries of the Costa del Sol.
The Guardia Civil is investigating the causes of the accident, although the main hypothesis points to a multiple collision in which the truck could not brake in time. Four vehicles were involved in the incident: the tanker truck, the crane, the broken-down car, and the taxi. Authorities remind the importance of exercising extreme caution on fast roads, especially in sections with high traffic density like the AP-7 passing through Benahavís and Estepona.
Local residents and regular users of the motorway breathe a sigh of relief following the reopening, although the tragic toll of the accident leaves a deep sorrow in the region. The two fatalities have not yet been officially identified, and more details about their identity and the circumstances of the incident are expected to be revealed in the coming hours.
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