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 Spanish dual-carriageway.
The trio were the first to hit the four-seater 32ft-long ‘narcolancha’ when it ended up on the tarmac near the resort of La Manga on Saturday night at around 9:30pm.
Local media reported that the boat fell off as the car carrying it was travelling at 75mph.
Video footage 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, showed a pileup of several cars, with many vehicle parts strewn across the road.
At least one of the cars involved in the smash ended upside down and another was left with massive damage to its front and its roof caved in.
The site of the crash is understood to be around 30 miles south-east of the city of Murcia.
Firefighter spent nearly half an hour freeing the bodies of the two Brits who died from the mangled wreckage of their vehicle.
They are believed to have been pronounced dead at the scene after emergency responders realised they were unable to do anything to save them.
Police today confirmed the nationalities of the victims, saying another eight people in six cars travelling behind them were injured in the mass pile-up.
The driver of the vehicle which had been carrying the suspect vessel on a trailer fled the scene and was still being hunted by police today.
While local press initially described the two people who died as two women, saying this morning they were ‘foreign tourists’ aged around 40, a Civil Guard spokesman confirmed the pair’s nationalities at midday today, saying both they and the critically injured victim ‘were British men aged 47 to 54.’
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, causing significant delays in the region.
An emergency response coordination centre reported in the aftermath of the huge pile-up: ‘Traffic accident on the RM-12 heading towards La Manga in the municipality of El Algar.
‘A collision involving several vehicles has occurred with people injured.
‘We recommend using alternative routes to facilitate access for emergency responders.’
Local reports, pointing to the probability they were holidaying in the area, said their car boot was filled with golf clubs.
Police have already said they won’t be formally naming the Brits, although the men who died have been identified locally by their initials only as P.D, 49 and J.W, 57 and the survivor as I.P, aged 54.
An FCDO spokesperson said: ‘We are supporting the families of three British nationals following a road traffic incident in Spain and are in contact with the local authorities.’
More to follow.