Andorra Hospital Overwhelmed by 256 Black Ice Fall Injuries

Hospital Nostra Senyora de Meritxell handled 256 patient triages on Thursday amid widespread black ice from overnight freezing rain in Andorra la Vella and Escaldes-Engordany. Of these, 201 involved adults over 14 with trauma injuries, including 134 directly linked to falls. Injuries typically included wrist and elbow fractures from outstretched arms during slips, alongside lumbar, femur, and vertebral breaks, as well as contusions. Traumatology units hit capacity as delayed pain from morning incidents drove later arrivals.

The black ice formed when liquid rain froze instantly on surfaces near or below 0°C in valley floors—such as -0.8°C in Escaldes at 7am—while higher areas like La Cortinada recorded 5.8°C due to thermal inversion. Cases built quickly: 54 triages from 6:50am to 9am, rising to 97 by 1:30pm and 134 by evening. The Servei Andorrà d'Atenció Sanitària (SAAS) dispatched 53 ambulances, with firefighters conducting 15 lifts, 12 on Avinguda Carlemany. Hotspots included Plaça dels Coprínceps, Creu Blanca, Parc de la Mola, Plaça del Poble, Baixada del Molí, and the cobbled historic quarter. Social media showed clogged emergency lines and streets like ice rinks; witnesses described overload at urgències and persistent hazards despite efforts.

Parishes activated standard protocols without specific alerts from Meteo Andorra or Civil Protection. Escaldes-Engordany guards detected ice from 11pm Wednesday in the centre, Sant Jaume, and roads to Vilars and Plana, expanding by 4am. Snow ploughs started at 11pm, spreading 4,900kg of salt from 6am across 10 priority sites including hospital and school entrances, using shovels, quads, and barriers. Overnight rain delayed effectiveness until after 11am; circulation teams joined 10 operations with emergency services.

Andorra la Vella's hygiene teams began at 4am—some from 10pm Wednesday—doubling shifts near health centres, schools, and shops with eight vehicles, 14 workers, environment, and public works support. They managed 38 traffic alerts and five public reports, applying over 10 tonnes of salt on slopes and the historic quarter. Deputy consul Olalla Losada said teams covered all icy areas with ongoing checks, prioritising high-traffic slopes like Baixada del Molí. She urged proper footwear, hugging buildings while walking, and caution for vulnerable people, noting no precise fall tally existed without official complaints. The parish posted an X alert around 10:30am.

Other parishes reported limited effects: Ordino had two falls, deploying five salting jeeps, a Unimog, two quads, and four shovel teams from dawn. La Massana salted from 4am with signs, sparing Pal and Arinsal; Canillo used 10 machines and 17 workers for seven tonnes of salt; Encamp and Sant Julià de Lòria saw none.

On Friday, Andorra la Vella mayor Sergi González apologised for injuries from the exceptional freezing rain, absent targeted alerts, and pledged protocol upgrades for high-risk weather, better forecasting, and coordination—rapid ice on wet surfaces outpaced efforts despite over 10 tonnes of salt. Escaldes-Engordany expressed solidarity, defended night work despite rain's impact on salt, and held an afternoon review with departments and consuls. Both parishes stressed no meteorological or Civil Protection warnings for freezing rain, though Secretary of State David Forné said low-temperature notices reached communes. Property owners must clear adjacent pavements, as with snow. Residual risks lingered into Friday, with some work accidents linked to the episode.