Speaking to the Lusa agency, the captain of Porto and Commander-in-Chief of the Maritime Police of Póvoa de Varzim and Vila do Conde, Ferreira Teles, said that eight young people were swept away by waves on the beach of Lagoa, in the town of Aver-o-Conde Mar, with a young woman in her 20s still missing.

“The young people were by the water line and were caught by the waves. A young woman in her 20s is still missing and the others managed to get out of the water and were then taken to Póvoa Hospital”, he added.


“At the moment, the search is going on by land to find the young woman because the port bar is closed due to sea agitation”, said the commander, adding that the alert for the incident was given at 04:48.

At 07:10, elements of the Póvoa do Varzim Fire Department, maritime police, and elements of the captaincy's lifeguard station were on site.

The entire coastline of mainland Portugal is under a yellow warning, from the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA) due to rough waves.


Updated at 9:37am to reflect update of four to eight youths involved in the incident.