Local Spanish authorities have released an official statement amid reports Liverpool star Diogo Jota has died in a tragic car crash.
Devastating news from outlets across Spain and Portugal on Thursday morning reported that Jota and his brother had died in a car crash in the Spanish province of Zamora.
The 28-year-old was involved in a fatal accident that occurred on Thursday morning at 1:30 a.m in the in northwestern province.
Emergency services including the Traffic Civil Guard, the Fire Brigade and the Medical Emergency Unit (UME) and the Primary Care Medical Staff from the Mombuey Health Center immediately attended the scene and confirmed the death of two people.
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Shortly after the crash, the Zamora Provincial Council spoke out to confirm the initial details.
Their statement read: "Two young people die in an accident on the A-52 (Palacios de Sanabria).
"The Rionegro del Puente Fire Station (Northern Zone of the @DiputacionZA Consortium) responded. The vehicle caught fire, and the flames spread to the vegetation.
"They were 28 and 26 years old. RIP."
The tragic news comes just five days after Jota married long-term girlfriend Rute Cardoso, whom he has three children with, in Porto.
Spanish police force, the Guardia Civil, released further details of the accident, writing: "The information we have so far is that the car, which was a Lamborghini, was in a road traffic accident and left the road due to a tyre blowout while overtaking.
"It was in the early hours, 00:30 BST, in the municipality of Cernadilla in the province of Zamora.
"The car caught on fire and the two occupants were killed."
When asked to confirm the identities of those involved in the accident, the Guardia Civil said: "The player and his brother, Andre Silva."
On Thursday morning, the Portuguese FA released a statement after the news.
It read: "The Portuguese Football Federation and all of Portuguese football are utterly devastated by the deaths of Diogo Jota and his brother André Silva this morning in Spain.
"Far beyond being an exceptional player, with nearly 50 caps for the National Team, Diogo Jota was an extraordinary person, respected by all teammates and opponents, someone with a contagious joy and a reference within his own community.
"On my behalf, and on behalf of the Portuguese Football Federation, I express our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Diogo and André Silva, as well as to Liverpool FC and FC Penafiel, the clubs where the players, respectively, performed.
"The Portuguese Football Federation has already requested UEFA to observe a minute of silence this Thursday before our National Team’s match against Spain in the Women’s European Championship.
"We have lost two champions. The passing of Diogo and André Silva represents irreparable losses for Portuguese Football, and we will do everything to honor their legacy daily."
Topics: Diogo Jota, Football, Liverpool, Portugal, Spain, Premier League
Ben McCrum