Two men killed and a third critically injured after their car crashed into speedboat that came off trailer
Two British men have died and a third has been critically injured after their car smashed into a suspected drugs traffickers' speedboat that came off a trailer on a vehicle travelling in front of them on a dual-carriageway in Spain.
The trio were travelling in a car which was the first to hit the four-seater 32ft-long 'narcolancha' when it ended up on the tarmac near the seaside resort of La Manga on Saturday night (November 16) at around 9:30pm local time (8.30pm UK time), according to MailOnline.
Video footage, which is circulating on X, taken at the site of the crash, the RM-12, a dual carriageway known colloquially as La Manga motorway, near to El Algar between La Manga and Cartagena, is reported to show a pile-up of several cars which were all involved in the accident, with many vehicle parts strewn across the road.
At least one of the cars involved in the crash ended upside down and another was said to have been left with massive damage to its front, while its roof also caved in. The site of the crash is understood to be around 30 miles south-east of the city of Murcia.
Local firefighters spent nearly half an hour freeing the bodies of the the two dead British men, who have not yet been named, from the wreckage of their vehicle. They are believed to have been pronounced dead at the scene after emergency responders attended and realised they could not do anything to save them.
Local police confirmed the nationalities of the victims earlier today (Sunday November 17), as well as confirming that another eight people in six cars travelling behind them were injured in the mass pile-up. A Civil Guard spokesman said both the deceased men and the critically injured victim “were British men aged 47 to 54”.
The driver of the vehicle which had been carrying the suspect vessel on a trailer fled the scene and is being hunted by police.
The spokesman said: “The accident happened around 9.30pm last night on the RM-12 around the El Algar municipality. A semi-rigid boat on board a trailer a vehicle was pulling came off and ended on the road across both lanes.
“A car travelling behind it with three British men inside aged between 47 and 54 smashed into the vessel. Two of those people died and another, who was the driver, was critically injured. Eight other people travelling in six vehicles behind them also crashed into the boat and were injured.
“The driver of the vehicle that was travelling with the speed boat on the trailer fled the scene. He has yet to be arrested. The boat he was carrying that ended up on the dual-carriageway has all the characteristics of a so-called 'narco lancha' involved in drug trafficking and an investigation is ongoing.'
Local media reported that one individual who suffered serious injuries, believed to be the British crash victim, was taken to Virgen de la Arrixaca hospital, while four others were taken to Santa Lucía hospital in Cartagena to treat minor injuries.
It was also reported that the motorway was shut for three hours following the crash. It was not immediately clear today if the British victims were on holiday or lived in the area at the time of the incident. It is also not yet known if they were travelling in a hire car or owned the car they were in.