Tragic Accident Claims Lives of Diogo Jota and Brother on Rías Bajas Highway

The football world remains in shock after the devastating news that Portuguese international Diogo Jota and his brother tragically lost their lives in a fiery car crash in the early hours of this Thursday. The accident occurred on the Rías Bajas Highway (A-52) near Cernadilla, in the province of Zamora, Spain, a route Diogo was traveling at the time of the incident.

What Is Known About the Tragic Accident

Emergency services were alerted at 12:35 AM local time, and firefighters, the Traffic Civil Guard, and medical emergency teams swiftly responded to the scene. Upon arrival, firefighters from the Rionegro del Puente park, part of the Zamora Provincial Council Fire Extinction Consortium, could only work to cool the vehicle to prevent the fire from spreading to the surrounding vegetation, as confirmed by one of the firefighters to EFE.

Sadly, authorities were powerless to save the lives of the brothers. By the time emergency personnel reached the site, the car was completely engulfed in flames, leaving the occupants no chance of survival. The vehicle was completely charred, a grim testament to the intensity of the blaze.

Initial investigations into the accident suggest that the vehicle suffered a tire blowout while attempting an overtake, according to sources from the Government Subdelegation in Zamora. The government subdelegate further detailed that during the autopsy, attempts were made to obtain fingerprints, and DNA tests were conducted. These samples will be sent to Madrid for analysis to legally confirm the identities of the victims.

Following the completion of the autopsies at the Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences in Zamora, the bodies are being transferred to Portugal.

In response to the tragedy, the Junta de Castilla y León activated psychological assistance teams to support the family and established information services in both Portuguese and English to handle inquiries. The section of the A-52 highway where the incident occurred is a straight stretch, with the car carrying the two players traveling towards Benavente, in the opposite direction of Portugal.

This tragic event comes just eight days after another accident was reported on the same highway. In that previous incident, however, the individual involved was severely injured but authorities were able to save their life.