A lorry became tangled in overhead power lines on the A-7 near Mijas on Tuesday, June 30 morning, leaving drivers exposed to live cables on the road and triggering tailbacks that disrupted residents and commuters for hours.
What happened on the A-7 near Calahonda
Emergency services received calls from members of the public at around 8.20am after a lorry struck overhead cables on the Marbella-bound carriageway near kilometre 1022, close to Calahonda. Officials believe the downed cable affected four vehicles in total, with drivers forced to stop suddenly close to a live wire on the carriageway.
Both the right-hand and left-hand lanes were shut at the scene, causing massive congestion stretching up to four kilometres back from the first Mijas junction. Commuters faced lengthy delays during the busy morning rush, unable to pass the danger zone safely.
Major risk to drivers and nearby residents
Live overhead cables falling onto a motorway carry an obvious electrocution risk to drivers and to anyone attempting to move stranded vehicles or assist others nearby. Residents in surrounding areas faced disruption too, with the closure cutting off a key route through Mijas during peak travel hours.
Guardia Civil officers, firefighters and Endesa technicians attended the scene to secure the area, given the danger of wires remaining energised after such a collision. Thankfully, despite the nature of the incident, no injuries have been reported among those involved.
Emergency response and clean-up
Endesa staff worked to assess and remove the damaged cabling with traffic officers managing stranded vehicles and rerouting drivers around the hazard. Authorities have not yet confirmed what caused the lorry to make contact with the lines, nor how long repairs to the damaged power infrastructure may take.
Separate lorry incident near Marbella
Elsewhere on the A-7, a lorry tyre blew out shortly before 7am near kilometre 1045, on the Cadiz-bound carriageway towards Marbella. Debris partially blocked the right-hand lane, producing a separate jam of roughly 1.5 kilometres during peak rush hour traffic, not a good morning for drivers across the Costa del Sol.