Nearly six months after the tragic car accident that killed Liverpool forward Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva, Spanish police have revealed the cause. The crash occurred in the early hours of July 3 on the A-52 motorway in Spain, approximately 70 miles west of Valladolid.
According to the Civil Guard in Zamora, the Lamborghini Huracan suffered a tyre blowout while Jota was attempting to overtake another vehicle. The car veered off the road and burst into flames around 12.40am. Firefighters extinguished the fire, but both occupants were confirmed dead at the scene.
Jota, 28, had recently undergone lung surgery and was advised against flying. He was driving to the northern port city of Santander with his brother to catch an overnight ferry to Portsmouth, England. The pair had planned to continue their journey to Liverpool by car.
The police investigation is ongoing, with a full report to be submitted to a duty court in Zamora. A spokesperson said: 'We believe the car suffered a blowout from the marks on the road. No other vehicle was involved and no one else was hurt.' The fire damage was so extensive that it initially hampered victim identification, and Jota's wife, Rute Cardoso, had to identify the bodies.
Jota married Rute, the mother of his three young children, just 11 days before the crash. He had played a key role in Portugal's Nations League final victory over Spain on June 8. The football community continues to mourn the loss of the beloved Premier League star.
