Spanish police have confirmed that a tyre blowout caused the car crash that killed Liverpool footballer Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva. The incident occurred in the early hours of Thursday on the A-52 motorway in northwest Spain, approximately 70 miles west of Valladolid.
The Lamborghini the brothers were travelling in suffered a blowout while overtaking another vehicle, causing it to spin off the road and catch fire. Emergency services arrived at the scene around 12.40am, and firefighters extinguished the blaze, which had spread to nearby vegetation. Medical personnel confirmed the deaths of both occupants shortly after arriving.
A spokesman for the Civil Guard in Zamora stated: 'The investigation into the crash is being carried out by Civil Guard traffic officers. We believe the car suffered a blowout from the marks on the road.' He added that the full police report would be submitted to a duty court in Zamora, which has opened a judicial investigation. The report is expected to take four to five days to complete, and investigators will analyse skid marks to determine the vehicle's speed at the time of the crash.
Diogo Jota, 28, had recently married Rute Cardoso, the mother of his three children. Tributes have poured in from across the football world, with Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher and Manchester United icon Rio Ferdinand expressing their condolences. Ruben Neves, who played alongside Jota at Wolves and for Portugal, said: 'They say we only lose people when we forget them. I will never forget you!'
Liverpool FC released a statement saying they were 'devastated by the tragic passing of Diogo Jota' and requested privacy for the family. The Portuguese Football Federation also paid tribute, describing Jota as 'an extraordinary person' and stating that 'we have lost two champions.' Jota made 182 appearances for Liverpool, scoring 65 goals, and won the Premier League, FA Cup, and League Cup during his time at the club. His brother Andre Silva was a footballer for Liga Portugal 2 side Penafiel.
