Two women have died after their car plunged into Algeciras port in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
The tragedy occurred at around 12.24am at berth number one of the Galera quay, as the four occupants were preparing to board a ferry bound for Tangier.
The vehicle was carrying two men and two women of North African origin and had already passed through a Policia Nacional control.
Port staff then directed them towards the designated area where they were supposed to wait before boarding.
However, the vehicle continued driving and headed towards the ramp at berth one before falling directly into the water.
Early inquiries suggest the driver may have become disorientated in the fog, although the precise circumstances remain under investigation, reports Europa Sur.
The two men, who were sitting in the front seats, managed to escape from the vehicle and reach the surface by themselves.
In a dramatic rescue effort, an employee of a ferry company working at a neighbouring berth jumped into the water to help them, while Port Police threw lifebuoys into the sea.
The worker helped the passenger grab hold of a lifebuoy and remain afloat before the survivors and rescuer were taken aboard a vessel operated by the port’s pilots and brought back to the quay.
The driver, aged around 50, suffered injuries during the impact with the water and was treated by paramedics.
His passenger, described as an elderly man, showed signs of drowning and was taken to hospital in a critical condition.
The two women, meanwhile, became trapped in the rear seats of the rapidly sinking car.
Guardia Civil divers from the specialist GEAS underwater unit entered the water but recovered both women dead from inside the vehicle.
Andalucia’s 112 emergency service has since confirmed that the victims were aged 71 and 43.
According to port sources, the vehicle was carrying a large amount of luggage, increasing its weight and causing it to sink within a matter of seconds.
A crane is expected to be used to recover the vehicle from the bottom of the harbour during Wednesday.
Read more Andalucia news at the Spanish Eye.
