The group, which includes "four people of Portuguese descent and eight [citizens] of French nationality", was located around midnight, "arriving near the vehicles around 2:20 am", a source from the Cávado Sub-Regional Command told Lusa.

The 12 people are "fine and without any injuries", they noted, adding that they were located in the Vilar da Veiga area, in the municipality of Terras de Bouro (Braga).

Civil Protection had previously told Lusa that it was a group of “six adults and six minors” who were walking “the trail from Cascata do Arado to Poço Azul”.

The search involved operatives from the Terras de Bouro Volunteer Firefighters and the GNR Mountain Search and Rescue team in the Peneda-Gerês National Park.