One person died and more than 20 were injured, one seriously, following an extreme wind phenomenon in Albufeira on Saturday morning. The deceased “is a British national, 85 years old, female”, revealed the Regional Commander of the Algarve, Vítor Vaz Pinto, in a press conference.
The alert was issued at 10:07 a.m., confirmed by the Emergency and Civil Protection Command of the Algarve. The same source reported that the phenomenon caused damage at the Albufeira Camping Park, toppling “a number of caravans” and resulting in one fatality, as well as four minor injuries and one serious injury, who was transported to Faro hospital. At a hotel, at least 19 people were injured.
Sixty-two operatives were mobilized, including firefighters, the National Republican Guard (GNR), INEM, and Civil Protection members, accompanied by 25 vehicles.
Meanwhile, the President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, reacted to the incident, expressing “his solidarity with the family of the deceased, due to the passage of depression Claudia”.
“President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa also wishes a speedy recovery to the injured citizens”, reads the note published on the Presidency of the Republic’s website.
The President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, lamented the fatality in Albufeira caused by the passage of depression Claudia, expressing solidarity with the family and wishing the injured a speedy recovery.
A source from the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA) informed Agência Lusa that radar images indicate a high probability that this was a tornado, although the situation is still under evaluation.
Meteorologist Paula Leitão also noted that atmospheric conditions in the Algarve will remain conducive “to more such phenomena, although it doesn’t mean they will reach land,” until 3:00 p.m. This is due to “a lot of activity over the sea,” she explained.
The official stated that these phenomena occur occasionally and unexpectedly, so it is not possible to predict when and where they might occur.
On Friday, the Faro area was affected by a wind phenomenon that caused very intense, localized gusts, resulting in fallen trees and structures.
Faro, Setúbal, and Beja are still under an orange alert today, at least until 3:00 p.m., due to persistent rain, sometimes heavy and accompanied by thunder, warned the IPMA.
[News updated at 1:17 p.m.]
