Algarve Situation Report Wednesday 14th May 2025
by Mike Evans
A very good day to you all, we have been reporting extensively on the situation regarding safety of people on the roads and the various campaigns that the GNR have been conducting over the past months against bad driving habits. Unfortunately, we have seen a number of fatal accidents happen across our region which highlights the fact that people still do not seem to be taking the subject of road safety seriously. With summer getting closer and the main roads across our region getting busier we can only hope that this trend does not continue to show an increase in deaths on our roads.
This will be the first summer where there will be no charges to travel along the A22 so we can expect more drivers using this road and if it is anything to go by when I travel along it on a regular basis there seems to be a distinct lack of concern for the speed limit. It is a fact that speed is a major factor in causing accidents on our roads and with more traffic around the chance of being involved in a collision is much more likely unless people start to adhere to the correct speed limits. Whether the tragedy of the 4 young people who lost their lives in Tavira at the weekend had anything to do with speed is not yet known but all of us at Safe Communities implore all drivers to slow down and drive carefully over the next months and years.
Now a look at what has been happening across the region over the past week or so.
4 Dead after Car falls into The River in Tavira
Four young people, two Germans aged 15 and 18 and two Portuguese aged 15 and 16, died on the night of Saturday, May 10, after the electric car they were travelling in fell into the Séqua/Gilão river, in Tavira.
When exiting a bend on National Road 397 (EN 397), the vehicle hit a tree, destroyed the rails and fell into the river. According to a source from the GNR, the vehicle was removed, with the occupants inside.
The young men were unable to get out of the Tesla for reasons that will be determined during the investigation. The doors were locked and they had to be freed by the Tavira Volunteer Firefighters, who when they were removed were already dead. The alert for the skid was given at 10:20 pm, when a motorist passed by the location and noticed that a vehicle was in the water.
The four fatal victims were taken to the Faro forensic office for autopsies. Twenty-one firefighters from Tavira, INEM, GNR and Civil Protection were on site, with the support of 11 vehicles. The Colégio Santiago Internacional, in Tavira, where three of the young people who died studied, today expressed its “absolute devastation” over what happened, asking for respect and privacy during the mourning period.
“The coming days and weeks will be immensely difficult for the families of the young people, as well as for their friends, teachers, assistants, and our entire school community in general,” said a source at the school, in a statement.According to the same source, three of the victims were students at the establishment and the fourth victim was the brother of one of the students, two of whom are of Portuguese nationality and the other two of German nationality, aged 15, 16 and 18, respectively.
“We therefore ask for maximum privacy and respect during the grieving process as we mourn our loved ones, since all students who attend our school are minors,” the note reads.
“As a community, at our school and in the city of Tavira, we are absolutely devastated by the tragic loss of these four lives,” the school concluded.
1 Dead and 2 Injured in Alcoutim Crash
One person died and two were injured as a result of a light vehicle skidding that occurred today on National Road 122, in Alcoutim .
According to the Algarve Regional Emergency and Civil Protection Command, the accident caused the death of a 57-year-old man and minor injuries to another man, aged 40, and a woman, aged 34, the latter of Timorese nationality. According to the same source, a helicopter from the National Institute of Medical Emergencies (INEM) was called, but the injured ended up being transported by ambulance to Faro Hospital.
The alert was given at 9:36 am, and the reasons for the passenger car’s skidding are still unknown.
Traffic was restricted on National Road 122, in the Pereiro area, until around 11:54 am.
The victim assistance operations involved a total of 15 Civil Protection elements , supported by six vehicles.
Man Arrested Suspected of Child Sexual Abuse in Portimão
The Judicial Police (PJ), through the Criminal Investigation Department of Portimão , arrested a 20-year-old man, suspected of at least eight crimes of sexual abuse of children and one crime of threat, perpetrated between March and the beginning of this month, with the victim being a 13-year-old girl. The investigation originated from the mother’s report of the child’s disappearance, which occurred at the end of last week.
After the activation of the PJ , yesterday, a set of investigations were found that allowed the location of the aggressor and the victim, near the residence of a relative of the suspect.
“However, relevant evidence was collected that would culminate in the arrest of the suspect, when he was found to be enticing the victim to escape again,” the police force said in a statement.
During the investigation, it was possible to determine that the victim had been lured and encouraged by the suspect to run away from home, and that during the period in which they were both at large, she had been subjected “to relevant sexual acts, in various places, including the public highway, an abandoned house with no habitable conditions and also in the home of the suspect’s relative where she was finally found”.
The detainee will be presented for the first judicial interrogation to apply the coercive measures considered certain. The Inquiry is headed by the Public Prosecutor’s Office of Portimão.
PJ Arrests Man Accused of Murdering Neighbour in Olhão
The Judicial Police ( PJ ), through the Southern Directorate, arrested, yesterday, a 37-year-old man, on suspicion of attempted qualified homicide, which occurred in the municipality of Olhão .
The victim is a 35-year-old man who was shot with a firearm, suffering injuries whose severity “posed a danger to his life”, leading to his hospitalization and induced coma in the intensive care unit at Faro Hospital.
The facts under investigation occurred on May 6, after the victim did not accept the couple’s presence in the house she had been occupying, following an inheritance transfer. “The suspect left the scene after committing the crime,” the police force said in a statement.
As a result of the investigations carried out, “relevant evidence” was collected, which led to the identification and seizure of the instruments of the crime, “with circumstantial evidence being provided that confirmed the identification and subsequent arrest of the alleged perpetrator”.
The suspect was brought before the competent judicial authorities for the purposes of the first judicial interrogation of the detained defendant and determination of the specific coercive measures, being subject to preventive detention.
The investigation is led by the Public Prosecutor’s Office, Department of Investigation and Criminal Prosecution of Olhão.
GNR seizes 1.7 tons of Hashish in Joint Operation with Guardia Civil
The Coastal and Border Control Unit (UCCF), through the Maritime Patrol Section of the Olhão Coastal Control Detachment , and in cooperation with the Spanish Guardia Civil , today, May 8, seized around 1,700 kilos of hashish, in the Guadiana River, between Portugal, and the south of Lepe, in Spain.
The operation began when the Civil Guard detected a high-speed boat entering the Guadiana River. “Given the situation, the GNR was asked to collaborate in approaching and intercepting the boat,” the police force said in a statement, adding that “the suspicious boat, equipped with four high-powered engines, fled towards Spanish waters, throwing bales of hashish into the sea. Although it was not possible to intercept the vessel”, the GNR seized 50 bales of narcotics, corresponding to around 1.7 tons, as well as a satellite phone.
The seizure took place in Spanish territorial waters, so the material collected was “handed over to the Spanish authorities”, and the investigation continues in Spain, under the coordination of the Guardia Civil .
Early Recruitment and Foreign Lifeguards Help Albufeira Beach Concessionaires
The use of foreign lifeguards, particularly from Brazil and Argentina, and the early recruitment of these professionals have allowed Algarve beach concessionaires to complete their teams in time for the bathing season.
The bathing season begins on Thursday in Albufeira , the Algarve municipality with the largest number of beaches, and several concessionaires have admitted that it continues to be difficult to recruit lifeguards, which is why they have invested in hiring these professionals in a timely manner.
Luís Martinho, from the Association of Industrialists and Similar Concessionaires of the Algarve Coastal Beaches (AISCOMA) points out as reasons for this difficulty “the lack of interest” of the Portuguese in the activity, because it is seasonal and also not recognized as a profession.
“A few years ago, we had young people looking for activities to occupy the three months of the summer school holidays, but the extension of the bathing season to six months has significantly reduced demand,” he noted.
According to the businessman, who also has concessions on several beaches in the Algarve, “it is not a profession with a guaranteed future and you cannot make a living from it all year round”. Even so, in the concessions he manages, he has managed to keep the same lifeguards for several years. “The protocol [from the Institute for Aid to Shipwrecked People] that exists with Brazil has helped, especially on the larger beaches, which work with associations, but even that only covers the bathing season,” he pointed out.
Luís Martinho predicts that the future may be complicated, defending the importance of valuing the profession so that more young people want to follow it. “If the profession is not recognized, it will be increasingly difficult to guarantee safety on our beaches”, he warned.
António Vaz, concessionaire at Praia dos Salgados, in Albufeira, said he did everything to ensure he would be prepared for the bathing season, having started looking for lifeguards in January, and now has a complete team with two lifeguards from Brazil.
However, recruitment is a “problem that affects all dealers”, he admitted, considering that each year “it is increasingly difficult”, especially in the Algarve, where there is “a big problem” with accommodation, due to the prices charged.
Jorge Azevedo, from the Albufeira Lifeguard Association (ANSA), stated that the problem with recruitment “remains the same as in other years, because there is less and less demand from young people for this activity”, with the added problem of there being those who work for one or two years and then stop working. However, the “problem has been alleviated” with the hiring of accredited professionals from Brazil and Argentina, two countries that have contributed “greatly to ensuring the safety of Portuguese beaches”.
In Albufeira, he adds, there is a different aspect, “because the municipality has a beach safety plan for the whole year, which means that some of them work all year round and do not have to become unemployed”.
The Portimão Water Rescue and Bather Assistance Association (Rocha Rescue) indicated that it has not faced any difficulties in hiring lifeguards, due to the early start of recruitment and the use of foreign professionals.
According to Nuno Fernandes, representative of the association, anticipation is “fundamental” and the contracting work “starts immediately after the end of the previous bathing season”, as the concessionaires’ integrated plans must be submitted by the end of March. The person in charge said that the exchange with Brazil “makes up for the lack of interest of the Portuguese in the profession”, since winter in Brazil coincides with summer in Portugal.
“So they work here for five or six months and return to work the rest of the time in their countries of origin,” he concluded.
2 Workers Rescued After Wall Collapsed in Albufeira
Two men were buried alive yesterday afternoon, when a wall collapsed at a construction site close to Praia da Coelha, in Albufeira. Both men were rescued alive and transported by helicopter to Faro Hospital, with serious injuries.
A source from the Algarve Regional Emergency and Civil Protection Command source confirmed that the victims were “conscious” and had vital signs when firefighters reached them, to remove them.
The emergency alert was given at 15:13 and at 18:00 there were still 35 operators and 13 vehicles on site, including teams from the Albufeira Fire Department, the National Institute of Medical Emergency (INEM), the Municipal Civil Protection of Albufeira and the GNR.
Albufeira Locals and Visitors Speak Out Over Tourist Mayhem
It’s been almost one year since the municipal council announced the creation of a Code of Conduct to control the cases of “excessive behaviour” in the town. The document was first announced back in 2019 but truly gained steam last summer when a group of eight British men were filmed naked in broad daylight at a local bar.
With the code of conduct still awaiting final approval, the town seems stuck in an endless loop of excessive behaviour at the town’s Oura district and old town nightlife area which authorities seem powerless to stop. In fact, local resident Paolo Funassi says the reality on the streets paints a far grimmer picture than the one that local authorities try to project.
“Nothing has changed in one year. In fact, I think things have become worse,” he told the Resident. “We continue to see cases of drunken violence, public nudity and even outdoor sex. Drug dealers are openly offering substances to people on the street, and there continues to be a lack of effective policing,” Funassi lamented.
Not even the CCTV surveillance network featuring 65 cameras which was unveiled in January seems to act as a deterrent to the increasingly rowdy behaviour.
According to Funassi – who runs the ‘Albufeira Paradise’ Facebook page, which has over 100,000 members – local residents are tired of seeing their town reduced to a stag party or hen do destination where ‘anything goes’. e added that he was “ashamed” by the behaviour that he witnessed. In one case, he saw drunken tourists urinating next to the Maritime Police office.
These concerns come as the municipality prepares to finalise the Code of Conduct designed to restore order. The document, whose first draft included bans on street drinking, nudity, and public sex acts before undergoing a public consultation period, will be approved by the council next week. It will then head to the municipal assembly for a final sign-off, local mayor José Carlos Rolo said at the latest municipal assembly meeting on Monday (May 12).
Indeed, his frustrations have been shared by Scottish reader Stuart Currie, who emailed the Resident after staying in Albufeira in early May with his wife.
“We love Portugal, the people and Albufeira, having spent many holidays there over the years. Sadly, we have both come to the decision that we will not return to Albufeira,” wrote Stuart Currie. “In our opinion, the old town has lost its charm for families, couples and indeed elderly visitors.” He added that he was “ashamed” by the behaviour that he witnessed. In one case, he saw drunken tourists urinating next to the Maritime Police office. “Since returning to Scotland, we have spoken to our travel agent, and she has also confirmed that many visitors who have recently been to Albufeira have all complained about the same issues.”
Let’s all hope that the authorities are willing to crack down on these excesses so the tourist bubble does not burst on Albufeira.
Until the next time Stay Safe