Spanish police have revealed that Liverpool forward Diogo Jota was likely exceeding the speed limit when he and his brother Andre Silva died in a car crash in northwestern Spain last Thursday.
The 28-year-old footballer and his 25-year-old brother were killed when their Lamborghini crashed on an isolated stretch of the A52 motorway near Palacios de Sanabria in Zamora province.
Spain's Civil Guard said on Tuesday that their ongoing investigation suggests Jota was driving too fast when the vehicle suffered a tyre blowout, causing it to veer off the road and burst into flames in the early morning incident.
The Civil Guard has now confirmed that evidence indicates Jota was behind the wheel at the time of the crash, marking the first time authorities have specified who was driving.
Diogo Jota passed away with his brother in the early hours of Thursday morning last week
GettyPreviously, police had not revealed whether Jota or his brother was in control of the vehicle.
A Civil Guard spokesperson stated: "All the tests carried out for the moment point to the fact that the driver of the vehicle was Diogo Jota."
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The force added that traffic police from their Zamora branch are examining tyre tread marks left by one of the vehicle's wheels as part of their investigation.
The Civil Guard provided further details about their findings, stating: "The expert report is being carried out and finished, where among other things they are studying the marks [tread] left by one of the wheels of the vehicle.
"Everything also points to a possible high excess of speed over the permitted speed of the road."
Police initially reported that the crash occurred whilst the vehicle was overtaking, with a tyre blowout being the suspected cause.
The force confirmed that the expert report, once completed, will be submitted to a court in Puebla de Sanabria for further proceedings.
Road safety expert Javier Lopez Delgado suggested the brothers might have survived if they had been travelling at lower speeds.
He told La Opinion de Zamora: "If they had been going at 55mph they probably wouldn't have been killed. It seems very clear they were going very fast because of the skid marks."
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Diogo Jota reportedly crashed trying to catch a ferry back to the UKGETTYDelgado also claimed the road where the accident occurred had "many faults".
Portuguese media reported that Jota was travelling to Santander to catch a ferry to England, having been advised against flying following a recent lung procedure.
An emotional funeral service for the brothers was held in Gondomar, Portugal, on Saturday, attended by hundreds of mourners.
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