Two Moroccan women died after their car plunged into the water at Algeciras port early on Wednesday while they were heading to catch a ferry to Tangier.
The women, a 71-year-old mother and her 43-year-old daughter, were travelling with two men when their Audi A4 went off quay No. 1 at La Galera at about 12.24am.
The two men, who were sitting in the front, managed to get out of the car and reach the surface.
The driver, a man in his 50s, was treated for injuries at the scene. The other man, aged over 70, showed signs of drowning and was taken to hospital in critical condition.
The two women remained trapped in the back of the vehicle. Divers from the Guardia Civil’s Special Group for Underwater Activities later recovered their bodies.
All four occupants were Moroccan nationals living in the province of Segovia.
They had passed through the National Police checkpoint and were directed by terminal staff towards the vehicle waiting area ahead of their crossing to Tangier, according to Spanish media reports.
For reasons still under investigation, the car continued moving instead of stopping in the waiting area and headed towards a ramp at the edge of the quay before falling into the water.
The Tangier-bound ferry had not yet arrived at the berth.
Spanish police are working on the assumption that the incident was an accident, with driver error or a misjudgment of the distance to the edge of the quay among the possibilities being considered.
There was fog at the port at the time, although police sources cited by El País said visibility had not been reduced enough for the weather alone to explain the accident.
Moroccan crew member jumps in to help
Among the first to reach the two men was Walid, a Moroccan crew member working for shipping company AML.
After hearing cries from the neighboring quay, he went to the scene and jumped into the water.
Walid, who holds a diving certificate and has experience in swimming and surfing, reached the two men and helped keep them afloat until rescuers arrived. Port police officers also threw lifebuoys into the water.
The two men were eventually brought back to shore aboard a vessel operated by the Port of Algeciras pilots.
The car sank within seconds, with its weight and the amount of luggage inside contributing to how quickly it went under, according to Europa Sur.
It remained at the bottom of the harbor until Wednesday afternoon, when it was lifted out by crane.
Quay No. 1, which is used among other services for the Algeciras-Tanger Med route, was temporarily closed during the operation.
An investigation is underway to establish why the car left the waiting area and continued towards the edge of the quay.
