Mystery surrounds the discovery yesterday of a carbonized body in the wreck of a car found at the bottom of the ravine in the Lousã hills (district of Coimbra).
For now, all police know is that the car belongs to a 70-year-old man who left his Almada home 220 miles away yesterday morning en-route for a hospital appointment.
What is not clear is why he then drove all the way to Lousã and ended up in a ravine in such a raging fire that first reports claimed the car was unrecognisable.
Investigators are not even sure if the dead body is that of the owner, writes Correio da Manhã. Only an autopsy will confirm these details, GNR chief Jorge Santos has explained.
The autopsy could also shed light on whether the victim died because of an accident, or whether the fire was started deliberately, says CM.
As it is, Jornal de Notícias reported that as many as a thousand metres of scrubland were affected with the blaze being brought under control by over 80 firemen, using 19 vehicles and the assistance of two planes.
Radio 94FM adds to the mystery, confirming “police are investigating the origin of the fire, as it is not certain that it was caused by the vehicle”.
