Rain of euro bills causes mad rush for money on Spanish highway

Motorists driving on Spain’s A-7 highway in the vicinity of Marbella on Monday were surprised to suddenly see €50 ($55) bills raining down on them. The collision of a vehicle whose occupants were carrying about €20,000 ($22,000) in cash resulted in the money “flying out” in every direction, according to sources from the Civil Guard law enforcement agency.

Several drivers stopped their cars in the middle of this major motorway to go hunting for the banknotes, which created a huge traffic jam and dangerous situations. Police sources said that anyone who took money committed a crime of misappropriation, although no arrests were made.

It all began with a multiple car crash that took place at Km 181 on the A-7, near La Cañada shopping area outside the city of Marbella. The impact caused a briefcase to be ejected from one of the cars and break open. The bills went flying out.

The first drivers to witness the scene immediated stopped their vehicles – including a bus driver – and got out to grab as many bills as they could, as seen in videos posted on social media. This immediately created a major traffic jam on the high-traffic-volume motorway, drawing a Civil Guard patrol car to the scene.

The National Police is now investigating the origin of the money. According to police sources, the occupants of the vehicle said they were going to use it to buy a used car. Carrying up to €100,000 ($110,000) in cash is allowed by law.

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