Miraculously, no one was seriously hurt
A school trip almost ended in tragedy this Friday morning (May 30) when a bus packed with children from Coimbra collided with a truck on the A8 motorway in Alfeizerão, Alcobaça, before plunging into a ravine.
The crash, which happened at kilometre 94 of the busy north-south route, left seven people injured – six children aged 9 to 10 and a 51-year-old teacher.
The overturned coach was carrying 41 people – 37 pupils from Colégio de São Teotónio in Coimbra and four adults – when it smashed into a lorry and lost control, flipping over the guardrail and into a roadside embankment.
Authorities responded in force, with 68 emergency responders and 32 vehicles racing to the scene. GNR police confirmed that the southbound carriageway of the A8 remains partially closed, with traffic now restricted to a single lane while the wreckage is cleared.
The injured were taken to hospitals in Torres Vedras and Leiria, miraculously with only minor scrapes and bruises, according to the commander of the São Martinho do Porto fire brigade.
The remaining 32 children and two adults, though uninjured, were transported to the São Martinho do Porto fire station, where INEM emergency teams carried out further medical assessments and offered psychological support.
The cause of the crash is under investigation.
Cleanup operations and vehicle removal are still underway, with traffic delays expected for several hours.
