A Republican National Guard (GNR) soldier died and three were injured on Monday night, after a collision between a guard vessel and a civilian vessel on the Guadiana River, a civil protection source told Lusa news agency.
All the victims are GNR soldiers, according to a source from the Algarve Regional Emergency and Civil Protection Command. In addition to the soldier who died, one suffered a broken arm and two others were left with bruises.
The GNR vessel was apparently rammed by a speedboat, presumably related to drug trafficking, a Guarda source told Lusa.
“Given the characteristics of the high-speed vessel, it is presumed to be linked to drug trafficking”said the GNR source.
After the collision, the high-speed boat was found burning two miles (almost four kilometers) from the place where the accident occurred on the Guadiana River, off Alcoutim, in the district of Faro, with the occupants having fled, according to the source.
The high-speed boat was detected on the Guadiana River, and a patrol from Olhão Coastal Control was sent to investigate, and when they tried to approach the boat they were rammed.
A source from the Algarve Regional Emergency and Civil Protection Command previously told Lusa that 35 operatives were on site, with the support of 14 vehicles.
The investigation is in charge of the Judiciary Police, according to the GNR.