A British family of four has been killed in a devastating car crash in Portugal, just days after the father celebrated his 55th birthday. Domingos Serrano, 55, his wife Maria, 51, and their 20-year-old twin sons Domingos and Afonso died at the scene when their rented Nissan Juke collided with another vehicle and burst into flames. The crash occurred on a bend near the town of Castro Verde as the family drove from Faro Airport to Mourao, a town near the Spanish border where the parents originally hailed from.
The 19-year-old Polish partner of one of the twins, identified locally only as Veronica, also died in the collision. All four family members were British passport holders, and the twins are believed to have been born in the UK. A Portuguese man travelling alone in the second vehicle also lost his life. Town hall chiefs in Mourao have declared two days of mourning starting from today.
The Serrano family lived in Thetford, Norfolk, where Domingos had celebrated his birthday on Thursday, two days before flying to Portugal. The twins were both integral members of Thetford Town Youth FC's Under-18 team. The club expressed condolences in a social media post, stating: 'Afonso and Domingos were both an integral part of our U18’s team in recent years... The loss of this lovely family will leave a massive void in the local community.'
A police source revealed that the rental car was so badly damaged that officers could only recover half a number plate. The family's daughter, concerned after hearing about the crash and unable to contact her relatives, contacted police, leading to identification through the hire car firm at Faro Airport. The investigation into the early-hours accident is ongoing.
