At least 11 people have been killed and a further 32 injured, some seriously, after a passenger bus crashed into a ravine in Eastern Portugal on Sunday.
According to police authorities, the bus was en route to the popular tourist destination city of Santa Maria da Feira when the accident occurred. The bus had departed from the city of Badajoz in Spain, and was carrying mostly Portuguese nationals who were returning from vacation in Spain.
The accident occurred about half way into the bus’s journey, near the towns of Coimbra and Serta, near Carvalhal in the central Portuguese district of Castelo Branco, at approximately 08.45 am local time.
Over 200 emergency rescue personnel, including fire fighters, paramedics and police officials were deployed to the accident scene in close to 100 emergency vehicles, causing massive traffic congestion in the area. In addition, two helicopters were deployed to the scene to transport the most seriously injured to nearby hospitals.
Medical personnel at the scene worked tirelessly to free injured passengers from the wreckage of the bus, which was in a difficult position in a ravine. Although the exact circumstances surrounding the crash are not yet clear, it appears that the driver lost control on a slippery road following major rains in the area. The bus veered off the road as it was approaching a corner and plunged into a ravine. There were 43 passengers on board the bus at the time.
Emergency personnel declared 10 people dead on the scene, including four women and six men, all between the ages of 50 and 70 years. A further six passengers were seriously injured and were transported to hospital in Coimbra by helicopter, with the remaining passengers sustaining only minor injuries. One of the most seriously injured patients passed away later in hospital. Five of the patients remain in a serious condition, with head and chest injuries.
According to the leader of the rescue team, Mr. Rui Esteves, the identities of all of the passengers on the bus are yet to be determined. However it is thought that all of them were Portuguese nationals, and next of kin are currently being informed of the accident.
Although Esteves and police authorities did not give an indication as to the cause of the accident, the mayor of the town of Serta, Jose Nunes, has said that the poor weather conditions and roadworks in the area played a role.