Twelve people were injured, two seriously, after a car drove through pedestrians in the early hours of Tuesday morning in Albufeira’s Oura nightlife district.
The incident happened at around 3am on Rua da Oura, an area lined with bars that is closed to traffic at night. The victims were all young people, aged between 18 and 22, according to the Ministry of Internal Administration. Two members of the Guarda Nacional Republicana (GNR) were also injured.
Two of the seriously injured victims are expected to remain in hospital in Portimão, according to the Algarve’s Local Health Unit. Three people with minor injuries were also treated there. A further three people with minor injuries were taken to Faro Hospital, with one subsequently discharged.
According to GNR spokesman Carlos Canatário, the incident began when a vehicle that had been parked in the street pulled away. Officers ordered the 35-year-old driver to stop, but he disobeyed, turned the vehicle around, and continued driving.
When officers attempted to stop him again, the driver continued towards a group of people, striking several of them before carrying on.
“Officers then fired several shots into the air in an attempt to stop the driver,” Canatário said.
The vehicle subsequently collided with another car. The driver attempted to flee on foot but was arrested by officers from the GNR’s Public Order Intervention Group.
The man recorded a blood alcohol level of 1.29 grams per litre and also underwent toxicology testing. He was arrested on suspicion of aggravated assault, drink-driving, and dangerous driving. The case has been referred to the judicial court, which will determine any coercive measures.
Albufeira Mayor Rui Cristina described the incident as an isolated act and offered the municipality’s assistance to the victims and their families. Portugal’s Interior Minister Luís Neves also condemned the incident, saying that the circumstances would be fully investigated by the competent authorities.
The National Association of TVDE Movement (ANM-TVDE) said the incident highlighted the need to consider night-time transport as part of efforts to improve safety in Albufeira.
The association’s president, Victor Soares, expressed solidarity with the victims, including the injured GNR officers, and said the safety of the city’s nightlife “cannot be separated from a safe, accessible and effective mobility policy”.
The comments come amid an ongoing dispute between the municipality and TVDE operators, vehicles booked through digital platforms, such as Uber and Bolt, over restrictions on their access to parts of central Albufeira.
On 23 July, Rui Cristina announced plans to restrict TVDE vehicles from areas where their concentration was making it difficult for traffic and emergency vehicles to pass. The sector opposed the measure, describing it as illegal and discriminatory, and around 100 people subsequently took part in a protest.
Following a meeting with industry representatives, the mayor said the council would create designated pick-up and drop-off points for TVDE vehicles while maintaining restrictions on their circulation in the affected areas.
Soares said restricting TVDE services in a busy nightlife area could reduce access to what he described as a safe alternative for people who had been drinking and were no longer fit to drive.
The ANM-TVDE stressed that it was not drawing any causal link between the council’s measures and Tuesday morning’s incident, saying that responsibility for establishing the facts rested solely with the authorities.
Source: LUSA
Photo credit: Postal
