A violent collision on the A1 motorway involving a Rede Express bus carrying 58 passengers yesterday saw one man killed outright, while 32 others, including three children, were injured – two seriously.
According to reports, the dead man was one of two drivers on board. He is described as “having been resting”.
His colleague at the wheel is one of the two seriously injured victims.
Thirty passengers have been treated for light injuries, while 17 adults and two of the children were transported to hospital.
The accident happened at km 61 (Santarém) at the height of rush hour on a journey between Braga and Lisbon.
The bus is believed to have been travelling at high speed when it collided with the back of a lorry.
The lorry driver escaped unharmed.
The driver is understood to have gone into cardiorespiratory arrest, but was revived by emergency teams to the extent that he could be transported to Santarém hospital.
GNR police are now investigating the causes of the crash.
Says CM it may have been a “distraction of the driver, or an excess of speed”.
The motorway was extremely busy at the time, with heavy traffic in both directions.
