Motorcyclists in head-on collision close to festival site
Two men and a young woman died yesterday afternoon in a head-on collision between two motorbikes, close to the site of Faro’s ongoing bikers’ festival.
According to police, the victims were all wearing the kind of kit that suggests they were in Faro for the iconic event.
The accident happened around 5.45pm on the road giving access to Praia de Faro.
“The origin was a poorly-effected overtaking manoeuvre by one of the drivers who collided with the other motorbike which was travelling in the opposite direction”; GNR major Paulo Anjos of the Faro traffic brigade told Correio da Manhã.
The woman, who was a pillion passenger on one of the bikes, was subject to reanimation efforts at the scene, and transported already ventilated to Faro Hospital, “but did not resist the gravity of her injuries”.
Both men, aged 31 and 49, were killed outright.
The victims have not yet been identified, but the woman and driver of one of the bikes are understood to have come from Santarém.
Traffic was halted in both directions for roughly two hours yesterday evening as the victims, their bikes and all the debris from the accident was logged and then removed from the scene.
Police have since redoubled appeals for caution. “In events like these, the volume of traffic is always greater, and people should drive at reduced speeds”, reminds Major Anjos – also warning against bikers’ drinking alcohol and then taking to the road, stressing that drinking and then driving two-wheeled vehicles increased the likelihood of accidents even further than for drivers on four wheels.
