- Do YOU know more? Email Olivia.allhusen@mailonline.co.uk
Four members of a British family died in a head-on crash in Portugal just hours after hiring a car at Faro Airport.
The victims include two 20-year-old twins, their 55-year-old father and their 51-year-old mother.
The 19-year-old girlfriend of one of the siblings also died in the tragic accident, which claimed the life of a Portuguese man travelling alone in the other car they collided with.
Pictures from the crash scene showed the wrangled wreckage of one of the two vehicles involved in the accident beside the road.
The family were travelling north from the Algarve towards Mourao in the district of Evora near the Spanish border.
The tragedy happened around 1.40am this morning on the IP2 main road in Castro Verde where signs shows the speed limit is 80km/h.
Well-placed police sources said all four members of the same family killed were British passport holders, although the twins’ parents hailed from Mourao and were returning to the municipality for holidays.
The same sources said the 20-year-old twins were both born in the UK, despite Mourao Town Hall describing all four as coming from the municipality but living in Britain.
The girlfriend of one of the boys is believed to be of Polish origin but also lives in the UK.
Four members of a British family died in a head-on crash in Portugal just hours after hiring a car at Faro Airport. Pictured: The crash scene
A source close to the ongoing investigation said: ‘The car was such a wreck officers could only recover half a number-plate and with that began working on trying to establish the identity.
‘Today a daughter of the couple killed alongside their twin sons, worried because she had heard about the crash in Portugal and was concerned because she couldn’t contact her loved ones, rang the police to speak about her fears it was her family involved.
‘With the information she gave them officers made checks with the hire car firm at Faro Airport and tragically discovered a match.
‘That was how they were able to confirm the identities of the five occupants in the car with the four members of the same family inside.’
It is not yet know where in Britain the family live and how many years ago the twins’ parents emigrated and have been living in the UK.
The man travelling alone in the other car has been named locally as Ruben Goncalves, who came from a town in Portugal called Almodovar.
Local reports said Ruben worked at a zinc-copper mine southeast of Castro Verde called the Neves-Corvo mine. He had a son aged around four.
He was travelling south on the IP2.
The circumstances surrounding the fatal accident were today being investigated by the GNR police force.
Town hall officials in Mourao have declared two days of mourning starting from tomorrow.
A spokesman said: ‘The Municipal Council of Mourao has decreed two days of municipal mourning, effective from tomorrow, Sunday, following the death of five family members involved in a traffic accident last night on the IP2, near Castro Verde.
‘The Municipality, in coordination with the family and law enforcement authorities, namely the local GNR Post in Castro Verde, obtained the number plate of the vehicle they were travelling in and confirmed the identity of the passengers at 3:35 p.m today.
‘There were four occupants in the car, all from Mourao, and a young woman with ties to the family.
‘Residents of England, they were traveling from Faro to Mourao for their usual and well-deserved vacation.
‘It is with great sadness that the Municipality announces this information, offering its condolences to the families and friends of the victims.
‘We inform you that all activities and events promoted by the Municipality are canceled for the entire weekend.’
This is a breaking news story, more to follow.
