A WOMEN, aged 23, from São Brás de Alportel was found dead on August 4 at the Festival Sudoeste in Zambujeira do Mar (Alentejo). The woman’s body was discovered at 11am in one of the canals, which was used by the thousands of festival goers as a recreational bathing area.
Ana Isabel Gaspar set off with seven of her friends to wash in the canal before the day’s activities. After some time in the water, her friends realised she was missing and went looking for her on the campsite. Once they realised she was nowhere to be found, they called for help. The Captain of the Marines, who had a team of officers present at the festival, discovered the body at the bottom of the canal, a few metres away from where the group was washing. Even though several people were in the area, no one heard screams or witnessed anything out of the ordinary. Apparently, the woman had drowned without anyone noticing.
When the body was brought out of the water, the Portuguese Red Cross tried to resuscitate the victim, but were unable to do so. The friends were then accompanied by a psychologist to the Hospital de Santiago do Cacém before being taken home. As Ana Isabel suffered from epilepsy, it is thought that she may have suffered a seizure, however, nothing can be confirmed until after the autopsy.
This is the first time in the festival’s 10 year history that a fatality associated with the event has occurred.
