Seven people were killed in a violent car crash on the IC1 road in Aldeia de Palheiros, in the Ourique municipality, last Saturday at around 1.50pm.
The accident, involving two passenger vehicles in a head-on collision, is believed to have resulted from a misjudged overtaking that immediately killed the five occupants of one of the cars – three girls and two boys in their 20s from the north of Portugal who had been holidaying in the Algarve – and left the three passengers in the other vehicle seriously injured.
However, two of the injured victims, an elderly couple who had been transported by helicopter to Lisbon, died later in hospital.
The other victim is their daughter, 48, who was driving the car and is being treated for serious injuries at Beja hospital. The family from Setúbal was on their way to the Algarve on holidays. Around 30 firefighters, assisted by 10 emergency vehicles, GNR teams and two INEM helicopters were involved in the rescue operation. Both vehicles were left completely destroyed.
On Friday last week, just four kilometres away from Aldeia de Palheiros, another head-on collision involving two cars killed a couple. Again, a misjudged overtaking manoeuvre is believed to have been the cause of the accident.
The police authorities say drivers are often found speeding along this stretch of road and many have already been fined during traffic operations.
