The death of a family from Mourão in a violent accident that also claimed the life of a young man from Almodôvar on the IP2 in Castro Verde on Saturday has made headlines in England, where they were residing.
The National Republican Guard (GNR) confirmed that the family was in a rented vehicle that caught fire. The car had five passengers: the parents — a woman, 51, and a man, 55 — their twin sons, 20, and a 19-year-old Polish woman, one of the son’s girlfriend. Additionally, the driver of the other vehicle involved in the head-on collision, a 26-year-old man from Almodôvar, also died.
The GNR’s Beja Territorial Command explained that the family, residing in England, was on their way to Mourão for a holiday, a fact confirmed by the local authority.
The tragic accident was reported in the UK. Sky News, for instance, clarified that the Serrano family lived in Thetford, Norwich, but were not of British nationality. It also highlighted that Thetford Town Youth Football Club, where the twins played, paid tribute to the Portuguese family.
Notícias ao Minuto c/Lusa | 12:14 – 10/08/2025
The Portuguese emigrant family leaves behind another daughter, who remained in the UK and contacted the GNR after becoming concerned by the lack of response from her family.
Notícias ao Minuto com Lusa | 09:33 – 10/08/2025
The “tragedy,” as it is referred to, was also reported by outlets such as The Sun, The Standard, Daily Star, Express, and Mirror, which noted that the other deceased victim worked at the Neves-Corvo mine and left behind a son aged about four years.
On its Facebook page, the Mourão City Hall in the Évora district expressed sorrow over the death of four local residents and declared two days of municipal mourning, to be observed on Sunday and Monday.
“The municipality, in coordination with the family and authorities, including the local GNR post in Castro Verde, officially identified the vehicle’s registration number, confirming the identity of the passengers,” read the social media post.
The city hall stated that four of the occupants were “natives of Mourão” and the foreign woman had “a familial relationship.” “Residing in England, they were traveling from Faro to Mourão for their usual and well-deserved holidays.”
Extending condolences to the families and friends of the deceased, Mourão City Hall also announced that “all activities and events promoted by the municipality are canceled throughout the weekend.”
The head-on collision, claiming six lives, involved two passenger vehicles and occurred at kilometer 387.500 of the IP2 near Castro Verde, with officials being alerted at 2:06 AM, according to the Baixo Alentejo Sub-Regional Command for Emergency and Civil Protection.
The accident led to the closure of traffic on the IP2 for several hours, with road circulation resuming at 7:10 AM, as sources from the sub-regional command and the GNR indicated.
The bodies of the six deceased were taken to the medical examiner’s office at the Beja hospital.
In the morning, the GNR indicated that the remains of the five occupants of the burned vehicle were charred, and confirmed that the other victim was a 26-year-old man.
Luis Júnior | 15:13 – 09/08/2025
A total of 36 personnel were dispatched to the scene, supported by 16 vehicles, including resources from the firefighting services, GNR, the National Institute of Medical Emergency (INEM) — with an emergency medical vehicle and an immediate life support ambulance — and from Estradas da Planície, the road concessionaire.
