This used to be a Nissan Qashqai – evidence of the force of the crash.Credit: fuengirolasequeja
A 45-year-old Iranian woman, driving drunk, without a licence, and at high speed, caused a tragic accident on Fuengirola’s seafront promenade on Maundy Thursday, resulting in two deaths and ten injuries.
The crash occurred at 9.35pm in front of Carvajal beach when the woman’s Nissan Qashqai veered off a curve, struck a building’s corner column, ploughed into the terrace of Don Santiago pizzeria, skidded along the pavement, and collided with another vehicle.
The fatalities included the car’s passenger, a 47-year-old Iranian woman, killed on impact, and a 25-year-old pedestrian from Seville, a tourist in Fuengirola, who was struck and died instantly. Ten others were injured, including the driver, a 40-year-old woman, two two-year-old children, and four men aged 42, 50, 50, and 56. Three of the men sustained serious injuries, according to the 112 ambulance crews.
Driver of Nissan Qashqai tested positive for alcohol
Fuengirola’s local police have said that the driver tested positive for alcohol with a blood alcohol level of 0.48, exceeding legal limits. She was driving well above the 30 km/h speed limit and lacked a valid driver’s licence. She was arrested on charges of two counts of manslaughter by gross negligence, causing injuries by negligence, and a traffic safety violation for driving under the influence.
The restaurant terrace had concrete columns that likely prevented a worse tragedy. Authorities noted that without these columns, the incident could have been a massacre.
The Court of Instruction number 4 of Fuengirola, ordered on Saturday, April 19, the accused go into provisional detention without chance of bail and await trial.
She is accused of various alleged offences: homicide by serious recklessness, three offences of injury by serious recklessness, one offence of reckless driving, one offence of driving under the influence of alcohol and one offence of driving without a licence. During her court appearance, the detainee gave testimony.
