Two Majorcan lorry drivers die en route to London

Two Majorcan lorry drivers were killed yesterday en-route to London. The two local drivers died when their lorry came off the road near Santander and plunged into a river near Puerto de El Escudo. The two men, aged 30 and 39, were bound for the World Travel Market in London with the Balearic Tourism Institute's exhibition stand and were due to catch the ferry from Santander to Plymouth. The two drivers left Palma over the weekend on a ferry to Alicante and were on the last leg of the Spanish journey when tragedy struck. According to the Guardia Civil, the accident happened at 9am when the lorry came off the road and crashed some 25 metres into the Sonoro river. The exact cause of the accident remained unconfirmed last night but the north of Spain has been hit by severe weather, strong winds and heavy rain over the past few days. Sources for the Majorcan transport company said yesterday that the cause of the accident could have been brake failure - but all parties concerned are awaiting the Guardia Civil traffic report. One of the drivers apparently died instantly while another was trapped under the lorry and emergency services could not get to the trapped driver until the lorry had been removed with a crane. Unfortunately by the time the rescue services had freed the body from under the weight of the lorry, the second driver had died. Firemen and the Guardia Civil traffic department spent most of the morning at the scene removing the lorry from the river.