Two German women died this Tuesday following the sinking of the tourist boat «Sol de Lagos» with 11 people on board, off Ponta da Piedade, in Lagos, she told the Sul Informação source of the Port Authority of that city.
The accident took place at around 11:46 am, when the vessel, with 10 tourists and the master, capsized, due to unknown causes.
The shipwrecked people were promptly rescued by three crew members of another boat that was in the area, who threw themselves into the water.
The rescue of the victims was carried out by the Navy's lifeboat, which in the meantime was called to the area, off Camilo Beach and near Ponta da Piedade.
The causes of death of the two tourists are still unknown, not least because, according to Captain Cruz Martins, the 14 people who were in the water – 11 from the damaged vessel plus three from the boat that came to their aid – all wore life jackets.
However, he added, the victims assisted showed signs of hypothermia. The two tourists who died were still assisted on land by INEM, which attempted resuscitation, but the ladies ended up not surviving.
In addition to the navy boat, the Civil Protection also sent 18 firefighters, eight other operational personnel and 11 vehicles to the scene of the accident, as well as a helicopter, which transported some of the victims to the Hospital Center of Barlavento Algarvio, in Portimão.
The vessel that turned over was dedicated to visiting the caves in the Ponta da Piedade area.
On the South Coast, the sea presents waves of about one meter, on the Barlavento, the sea water temperature is around 19ºC, so the shipwreck was not caused by the state of the sea.
Updated at 14:57 pm: added the nationality of the two fatalities and the name of the boat.
The photos of the assistance to victims of the shipwreck are authored by Jorge Carrilho.
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