Spanish officials have revealed a possible cause for the crash that killed Liverpool football star Diogo Jota, as details emerge of the deadly history of the road where he died.
Portuguese international Jota, 28, died alongside his 25-year-old brother André Silva when the Lamborghini they were in veered off a road in Spain and burst into flames, police said.
The pair were travelling on the A52 highway when they crashed after midnight on Thursday (local time), and were reportedly trying to reach the city of Santander to catch a ferry back to the UK.
Jota’s death came weeks after his marriage to long-time love Rute Cardoso, the mother of his three children.
“Yes to forever,” he wrote on social media when he shared news of their nuptials.
The UK's Press Association quoted a Spanish government source as saying investigators were treating the crash as “a possible speeding incident”.
The Spanish Civil Guard spokesperson told the BBC that the Lamborghini left the road due to a tyre blowout while overtaking.
They said it was “impossible to say at exactly what speed the car was going”, but confirmed that no other vehicle was involved.
Wreckage at the scene suggests Jota and his brother were in a Lamborghini Huracan Evo Spyder, a favourite of footballers and celebrities that can reach a top speed of 320kph and do 0-100kph in just over three seconds.
Local officials said the area where Jota crashed was a known blackspot.
The Sun reported Angel Blanco, a central government representative for the province of Zamora, describing the A52, which has a maximum legal speed of 120kph, as “very dangerous”.
Irate motorists have reportedly been pouring scorn on the state of the road where the crash occurred, labelling it a “goat track” that was full of potholes.
The Daily Express quoted online comments from drivers who said the road was in need of repair.
“I don't know if they had a puncture, or if an animal got in their way…. What I do know is that the A52 is in a deplorable state.”
Another wrote: “You're absolutely right, when I come from France and I go to Vigo, I go through there and I'm always afraid of that road with all the potholes it has, it can break the suspension.”
Local news outlet El Dia de Zamora reported there were more crashes on the A52 than any other road nearby, with most occurring when driving conditions were good.