Grief in Gondomar as Diogo Jota and Brother Andre Laid to Rest After Fatal Crash

A wave of sorrow swept through the Portuguese town of Gondomar on Thursday night as mourners gathered to pay their final respects to Portugal international Diogo Jota and his younger brother, Andre, following their tragic deaths in a car accident earlier that day.

Crowds lined the streets outside the Capela de Ressurreição as the brothers’ coffins arrived just after 11pm, with emotions running high. Tearful supporters stood in silence as the hearses made their way to the chapel ahead of a wake scheduled for Friday morning.

The brothers were killed instantly in the early hours of Thursday when the Lamborghini Huracán they were travelling in veered off the A-52 motorway near Cernadilla, just across the border in Spain. Local reports suggest the crash occurred after a tyre burst while overtaking another vehicle, causing the car to roll multiple times and catch fire.

Spanish authorities confirmed both men died at the scene before emergency services could intervene. The severity of the crash also sparked a small fire in nearby vegetation, prompting an emergency response from firefighters. It remains uncertain which of the two was behind the wheel.

Speaking to CNN, local parish priest Father José Macedo confirmed the wake would begin at 8am Friday, with the funeral set for 10am on Saturday at Igreja Matriz, the Catholic church next to the chapel. “We’re here to honour their lives and share the pain with those who loved them,” he said.

Earlier in the day, the bodies were transported from a funeral home in Puebla de Sanabria, Spain, to Gondomar, located roughly 30 minutes from Jota’s hometown of Porto.

Jota’s agent, Jorge Mendes, was seen consoling the grieving family and escorting the footballer’s mother into the funeral home. “We’ve lost two incredible people,” Mendes said. “Diogo was everything you’d want in a son, husband, and professional. It’s hard to believe this has happened.”

The heartbreak is especially poignant given the timing—just two weeks ago, Jota had celebrated his wedding to longtime partner Rute Cardoso in Gondomar, surrounded by loved ones.

Reports indicate the brothers had been driving to Santander to catch a ferry to the UK, avoiding air travel due to Diogo’s recent recovery from lung surgery.