The search for a missing man, who leapt into the Arade river after the car in which he was travelling burst into flames, will resume at dawn on Sunday.
The blaze started at a road accident early on Saturday morning on the EN125 half way across the Ponte Nova do Arade, Portimão. An HGV and a car were in collision.
The car caught fire on impact and the two occupants jumped into the waters of the Arade to escape the flames.
The Captain of Portimão Port, Pereira Santos, said one man was rescued from the river and that he had indicated there was a second person in the car with him who also had jumped into the river. This led to further searches being made in the river but to no avail.
The rescued man is the owner of the car, an Audi A6, which hit the crash barrier on the bridge, crashed into the truck and burst into flames. He was as pissed as a proverbial parrot so the 'second man in the water' story may be a figment of his addled imagination.
The Audi was burned beyond recognition, see below.
The drunk was taken to Portimão Hospital suffering from burns and the police say the missing person, if there is one, may well also have been badly burned after the car burst into flames.
The bridge was closed to traffic while the emergency services dealt with the situation and reopened at 11:00.
Photo: Sul Informaçao
