Liverpool star Diogo Jota has tragically died, sending shockwaves through the entire sports world.<\/p>\n
The 28-year-old soccer player lost his life on Thursday, in a horrifying car crash.<\/p>\n
Jota and his brother veered off the road, and their vehicle burst into flames \u2014 and now chilling new details are emerging about what caused the deadly accident.<\/p>\n
The football world is reeling after shocking news that Liverpool and Portugal forward Diogo Jota, 28, has died in a horrific car accident early Thursday morning in Zamora, Spain.<\/p>\n
His death occurred less than two weeks after marrying Rute Cardoso, the mother of his three children \u2014 two sons and a newborn daughter.<\/p>\n
Jota was traveling with his younger brother, Andr\u00e9 Silva, 25, when their car veered off the road and caught fire. Tragically, both brothers lost their lives in the crash.<\/p>\n
Jota\u2019s car reportedly crashed on the A-52 highway near Cernadilla, close to the Portugal border. Notably, this stretch of road has a notorious reputation: a recent survey by Spain\u2019s Organisation of Users and Consumers ranked the A-52 among the country\u2019s most dangerous highways due to poor road conditions and a lack of safety barriers.<\/p>\n
DNA testing necessary
\nSpanish rescue teams responded quickly, but the car\u2019s flames spread rapidly to nearby vegetation, complicating the rescue efforts.<\/p>\n
Officials revealed that the victims\u2019 bodies were badly burned and unrecognizable, making DNA testing necessary to confirm their identities. Rescue teams faced major challenges due to the intense fire that engulfed the vehicle.<\/p>\n
Investigators were able to trace the wreckage back to the Portuguese star and his younger brother thanks to the supercar\u2019s license plate and documents found inside the charred remains.<\/p>\n
What caused the crash?
\nDetails remain scarce about what exactly happened in the moments before the deadly crash on that dark night in Spain. Investigators have found a long tire skid mark near the crash site, suggesting the driver may have slammed on the brakes just before impact.<\/p>\n
However, authorities are treating the accident as a \u201cpossible speeding incident,\u201d a government source in Zamora told the PA news agency.<\/p>\n
Officials say the crash happened when a tire exploded during an overtaking maneuver, causing the driver to lose control. The vehicle, reported to be a Lamborghini, then crashed and caught fire.<\/p>\n
\u201dIt doesn\u2019t make sense\u201d
\nAt the time, the brothers were reportedly on their way to catch a ferry to Great Britain, ahead of Liverpool\u2019s preseason kickoff on Monday. CNN Portugal reports that Jota recently had lung surgery and was advised by doctors not to fly, which likely explains why he was traveling by car.<\/p>\n
Portuguese journalist Victor Pinto told CMTV, \u201cDiogo sometimes chose to travel by road because he had some pulmonary discomfort, nothing serious, and as we know, there is a ferry boat that connects the south of England to Spain.\u201d<\/p>\n