A man and a child have been killed after a light aircraft made an emergency landing on a beach in Portugal on August 2, 2017.
Authorities said the incident took place on Sao Joao beach in Caparica, south-west of Lisbon. The cause of the emergency landing remains unclear.
The National Maritime Authority said a middle-aged man and a young girl died after they were unable to avoid the plane, while the plane’s only two occupants were unharmed.
The plane was flying at a low altitude over the beach when beachgoers began running.
A witness explains: “I was near the water when I saw the plane. I called my parents, the plane fell on the sand and ran over two people, fatally hurting them and another was injured, I think, but I’m not sure, people were running away. The plane is still there, but the ambulances arrived quickly. I think maybe the fuel ran out because I find it weird that it landed on the beach.”
Other reports said the victims had been sunbathing when the plane made its emergency landing. The girl who died had been with her parents, who were unhurt. There had been no noise.
The cause of the emergency landing remains unclear.
