Five people have died in a violent accident today between Portimão and Monchique, in the Algarve.
The incident, on the EN266, appears to have involved only one vehicle, which must have burst into flames. The victims were found inside the vehicle, ‘carbonised’, according to reports which have not yet given much in the way of detail.
A small fire in scrubland followed – which has already been put out.
Correio da Manhã says the circumstances of this tragedy are not yet clear. It happened shortly before 1pm. Traffic was held up in both directions as authorities dealt with the consequences.
An image posted by CM suggests the vehicle came off the road, and plunged into some sort of ravine before bursting into flames.
This appears to have been corroborated by Jornal de Notícias which explains “the car fell near the Ribeira da Carrasqueira bridge”.
Everything points to the car having been travelling from Monchique, in the direction of Portimão.
The bodies – all have been confirmed as being male – were still being removed at 2.30pm. Traffic was also still held up as investigators work on what may have caused this tragedy.
CMTV has mentioned the identification of ‘strong brake marks’ before the curve where the accident happened, thus the braking may have been of the vehicle that ended up coming off the road.
All this will have to be pieced together painstakingly. The ferocity of the ensuing fire made even identification of the vehicle difficult. But it has since been confirmed as a “white petrol Jaguar”. “It has been impossible to read the licence plate, or even the number on the car chassis,” says CM.
UPDATE 4.20pm: The victims have been identified. They were all men, four of them adults, and a teenager. The driver of the vehicle was Carlos Soares, the owner/mechanic of two fuel stations (in Carvoeiro and Lagoa), the others were friends – a father and teenage son (17), and Vítor Santos, a Carvoeiro restaurant owner and his grandson, Gonçalo Santos (21).
Further details to come.
