EN256 Bus Collision Near Évora Kills Infant and Driver, Injures Five

A gentle autumn evening in the Alentejo was shattered when a violent crash on the EN256 near São Manços claimed two lives and left five others hurt. Residents across Portugal woke up to the stark reminder that the region’s roads, though scenic, remain among the country’s most dangerous stretches.

What Happened on EN256

The first calls for help reached emergency operators at 18:03. According to the Guarda Nacional Republicana an automobile that had just negotiated a slight bend drifted into the path of an oncoming inter-city coach carrying 52 passengers. The impact threw the heavy vehicle toward the verge and left the car wrecked across the carriageway. A second light vehicle, unable to brake in time, rammed the debris, compounding the devastation. By the time firefighters forced open the mangled metal a one-year-old child and the 22-year-old driver were beyond medical help.

The Human Toll

Inside the shattered hatchback were three more young occupants: a 16-year-old boy and two women aged 15 and 23. They suffered multiple fractures and internal injuries, doctors at Évora Hospital confirmed, yet remained conscious after stabilisation. Two travellers seated near the front of the coach escaped with cuts and bruises. For the fifty other passengers, the outcome was an ordeal rather than a tragedy; none required hospitalisation, though several accepted psychological support offered on scene. The loss of an infant has hit the local community hard, especially as neighbours recall that the family was returning from an early evening visit to grandparents in nearby Vendinha.

Impact on Traffic and Emergency Response

Forty-odd operacionais and close to twenty emergency vehicles converged on the site in less than thirty minutes, but darkness and fog forced crews to illuminate the corridor with portable floodlights. The EN256 remained sealed in both directions until 22:50, when a single alternating lane reopened under police escort. Commuters heading toward Évora diverted through Alandroal and faced delays of up to one hour. The Núcleo de Investigação de Acidentes de Viação has already taken measurements and collected CCTV from a petrol station 500 metres away, yet officers caution that a complete reconstruction could take months.

Sinistralidade no Alentejo: A Broader Picture

Although the Alentejo records fewer crashes than metropolitan districts, its collisions are disproportionately lethal. The most recent Autoridade Nacional de Segurança Rodoviária report shows a fatality rate of 149 deaths per million inhabitants for 2022, dwarfing the national average. Sparse lighting, long straight sections that encourage excess speed, and limited patrol coverage create a perilous cocktail. Road-safety campaigner João Carapau points out that the combination of “aging infrastructure and a culture of driving long distances for basic services” keeps risk elevated even as vehicle technology improves elsewhere.

What Comes Next

Investigators are analysing skid marks and downloading data from the coach’s electronic tachograph to establish whether human error, mechanical failure or road conditions triggered the initial swerve. Meanwhile, the Évora municipality has announced that the next Ordinary Assembly will include a motion urging Infraestruturas de Portugal to fast-track long-promised resurfacing works and fresh signage along the EN256. For families mourning a baby whose life barely began, such measures will arrive too late. Yet every kilometre of tarmac made safer honours their memory and places Portugal one step closer to reducing a grim regional statistic that no community wishes to lead.