Charlie Smith
A TOURIST has died in Barcelona after becoming trapped by the riots that erupted after Spain jailed nine separatist leaders.
The 65-year-old Frenchman suffered a heart attack after walking three kilometres between Terminals 1 and 2 at El Prat Airport.
Connecting buses had been cancelled due to the protests at the airport, according to ABC.
The holidaymaker from Alsace received treatment in the Terminal 2 car park before being airlifted to Bellvitge Hospital.
Independence protestors had erected makeshift fences and blocked access routes at the international transport hub.
This is thought to have slowed down private medical teams hired by airport management AENA as they attempted to treat the tourist.
There other reports that the man suffered a cardiac arrest as his wife was looking for their boarding passes, La Vanguardia reported.
Others affected at the airport included a visibly upset four-month pregnant woman and her husband.
Riot police treated the pair on the floor after they left Arrivals in Terminal 1.
Ambulance staff have reported that emergency vehicles could not get through due to the protests and that there was no clear route between Terminals 1 and 2.
The airport had seen 45 flights cancelled yesterday and 100 on Monday due to violent clashes involving thousands of people.
Violence between protesters and police is expected to continue for a third day in Catalunya tonight.
Tens of thousands took to the streets following the Supreme Court’s decision on Monday to impose severe sentences on those involved in the illegal 2017 Catalan independence referendum.
