Investigators working on Diogo Jota crash consider 'multiple causes' for collision as concerns aired over state of road and potholes

The two brothers died when the Lamborghini they were travelling in came off the road in the Spanish province of Zamora while they were on the way from Portugal to Santander. They were due to take a ferry to England ahead of Jota reporting for pre-season with Liverpool. And investigators are trying to piece together exactly what happened. Spain's Guardia Civil said on Thursday that the crash occurred due to a tyre in the car blowing out when overtaking, leading to the car going off the road and bursting into flames.

The Athletichas reported that investigators accept there could be 'multiple reasons' for the crash. And the state of the A-52 highway where it took place is now being criticised. Large potholes have been spotted on the 300km-long road and some parts of the carriageway were in such a bad state that ambulance drivers only use the fast lane rather than changing from one side to the other.

Angel Blanco, a local government official, told a press conference: "I am not going into the circumstances. The car overturned, the car was burnt and the result was lethal: two young people died. There has to be an investigation."
Jose Fernandez Blanco, the mayor of Puebla de Sanabria, told The Athletic: "For a small town like ours, these tragedies are a source of consternation, anger that such young people, in the prime of their lives, have lost their lives. We express all our sorrow and sympathy for the family, the parents, the wife, the children. These are difficult tragedies to deal with. To talk about it now (the state of the road)... it is not the right time. It will be the time for the expert and police reports."

The brothers were driving at night to avoid the worst of the summer heat. They were planning to stay the night in nearby Benavente before continuing to Santander. Jota's wife and his three children were due to meet them in England before he reported for pre-season training. The striker was not planning on going on the club's tour of Japan however as he was recovering from a lung operation.