10-08-2025
What we know about family killed in car crash in Portugal while holidaying from the UK
A Portuguese family who were living in the UK have been killed in a car accident while on holiday in Europe.
Domingos Serrano, 55, wife, Maria, 51, and their 20-year-old twin sons, Afonso and Domingos, died when their car was involved in a collision with another vehicle on a motorway near Castro Verde in southern Portugal, authorities have confirmed.
The family was living in Thetford, Norfolk, prompting a tribute from the local football club, where the sons played.
A 19-year-old woman - reported to be the girlfriend of one of the twins - and the driver of the other car was also killed in the crash.
What we know
The Serrano family are believed to originally be from the Mourão area of Portugal but were reportedly living in Thetford, in Norfolk.
They are understood to have regularly visited the south-east of Portugal for holidays and were travelling from Faro to Mourão when the crash happened.
The car they were in, reportedly a Nissan Juke hired from Faro airport, collided with another vehicle on Saturday on the IP2 motorway near Castro Verde, in the Alentejo region, killing the four members of the family and two others.
In a statement, the municipal council of Mourão declared two days of municipal mourning starting on Sunday.
It said: "The Municipality, in collaboration with the family and law enforcement agencies, especially the Castro Verde Local GNR Station, officially acknowledged the license plate of the vehicle in which they were traveling, confirming the identity of the passengers at 3:35 PM.
"The vehicle contained four occupants, all of whom were from Mourão, and a young woman related to the family. Residents of England, they were traveling from Faro to Mourão for their usual and well-deserved vacation."
It offered its condolences to the families and friends of the victims, and said all activities and events promoted by the municipality were cancelled throughout the weekend.
A tribute was also paid on the Thetford Town Youth Football Club, where the twins had played for the under-18s team.
The statement on its Facebook page - shared with a picture of the family - said: "Thetford Town Football Club would like to pass on our sincere condolences to the Serrano family and the local Portuguese community after the recent tragedy while on holiday.
"Afonso and Domingo's were both an integral part of our U18's team in recent years, both brothers sadly passed away in Portugal with their parents and friends in a tragic car accident. The loss of this lovely family will leave a massive void in the local community."
It added: "Partiram, mas numca serao esquecidos", which means: 'They are gone, but they will never be forgotten.'
What we don't know
Alongside the four Serrano family members, the exact identities of the two other people who died in the crash have not emerged yet.
Reports have suggested one was the girlfriend of one of the twin sons, named in some reports as a 19-year-old Polish national called Veronica, and the other the driver of the other car involved, who The Sun named as 36-year-old Ruben Goncalves.
The exact circumstances and cause of the crash have also not been revealed, though they are said to be under investigation.
While the Serrano family are believed to be from Mourão originally, and holidayed their regularly, they reportedly lived in Thetford in Norfolk.
It is not know exactly when or why they moved to the UK, and other than the sons' involvement in the local football club, other work or interests have not yet emerged.
