Lorraine Williamson
Two women have died, and two men have been injured, one critically, after their car plunged into the sea at the Port of Algeciras in Cádiz during the early hours of Wednesday morning.
The four occupants were preparing to board a ferry bound for Tangier when the vehicle entered the water at the Galera quay at around 12.30 am. The two men managed to escape, but the women remained trapped inside the submerged car.
Emergency services were alerted after receiving a report that a vehicle containing four people had fallen into the sea in the international passenger area of the port.
The two male occupants were able to get out of the car and were taken to hospital. One is reported to be in a critical condition.
Divers from the Guardia Civil’s Special Group for Underwater Activities (GEAS) entered the water to reach the two women who remained trapped inside. Both were recovered from the vehicle but could not be saved.
The women were aged 71 and 43, according to information provided by port and emergency-service sources. All four occupants of the vehicle were Moroccan nationals.
Car had already passed police controls
The group had been due to take a ferry from Algeciras to Tangier and had already passed through the Policía Nacional control inside the port.
Staff working in the boarding area reportedly directed the vehicle towards the designated space where its occupants should wait before driving on to the ferry.
For reasons that have yet to be established, however, the car continued towards the ramp at berth number one of the Galera quay and entered the sea.
Sources close to the investigation have suggested that the driver may have become confused and continued driving instead of stopping in the waiting area. The circumstances surrounding the accident remain under investigation and no official cause has yet been confirmed.
Major emergency response at Algeciras port
A substantial emergency operation was launched after the alarm was raised. Andalucía’s 112 emergency service activated two 061 ambulances and four fire crews, while Salvamento Marítimo, Guardia Civil and its GEAS diving unit were also sent to the scene.
Policía Nacional and Policía Portuaria personnel were involved in the response alongside the emergency and rescue teams.
The accident happened shortly after midnight at one of Spain’s busiest passenger ports and a major gateway between Europe and North Africa. The Algeciras–Tangier route is particularly heavily used by passengers travelling between Spain and Morocco.
Investigators will now seek to establish why the vehicle continued beyond the pre-boarding area and ended up in the water.
The two women’s deaths and the critical condition of one of the surviving passengers make this one of the most serious incidents at the port during this year’s summer travel period.