Azores Situation Report 3rd July 2024
By our correspondent from the Azores
Road accident in Ribeira Grande leaves three dead and one injured
A traffic accident that occurred on the expressway between Lomba da Maia and Ribeira Funda, in the early hours of Sunday to Monday, caused three fatalities.
According to the Public Security Police, the accident involved two vehicles and four people. One of the cars had only one passenger, while the other had three.
One of the vehicles was heading northeast to Ponta Delgada and the other from Ponta Delgada to the northeast, and they collided head-on after one of the vehicles left its lane.
The collision immediately resulted in the death of the drivers, as well as the front passenger of the vehicle, which was carrying three people, with only the passenger in the back seat surviving. The accident occurred at 11 pm on Sunday.
Two extrication vehicles were at the scene, given the circumstances of the collision between the vehicles, as well as five emergency ambulances, two of them from the Ponta Delgada Volunteer Firefighters and one vehicle from the Azores Regional Command.
Five earthquakes with magnitudes between 1.6 and 3.0 on the Richter scale felt in Terceira
Five earthquakes with magnitudes between 1.6 and 3.0 on the Richter scale were felt today in Terceira, as part of the ongoing seismo-volcaeic crisis on the island, authorities announced.
According to the Azores Seismo-volcaeic Surveillance and Information Centre (CIVISA), the tremors were recorded at 01:50 local time (02:50 in Lisbon), at 06:41 local time (07:41 in Lisbon) and at 07:03 local time (08:03 in Lisbon).
The first earthquake, recorded at 01:50 local time, had a magnitude of 1.6 on the Richter scale and its epicentre was approximately four kilometres northeast of Santa Bárbara. It was felt with a maximum intensity of III (Modified Mercalli scale) in Santa Bárbara and Doze Ribeiras (Angra do Heroísmo).
At 06:41 local time, three earthquakes were recorded on Terceira Island.
The next event had a magnitude of 3.0 on the Richter scale and an epicentre about five kilometres east-southeast of Serreta. The second had a magnitude of 2.7 and was located five kilometres northeast of Santa Bárbara, while the third, with a magnitude of 2.9, had an epicentre three kilometres north-northeast of Santa Bárbara.
“According to the information available to date, the earthquakes were felt with maximum intensity IV/V (Modified Mercalli scale) in Serreta, Raminho, Altares Doze Ribeiras, Santa Bárbara, Cinco Ribeiras, São Bartolomeu (municipality of Angra do Heroísmo) and Biscoitos (municipality of Praia da Vitória)”, CIVISA added.
The events were also felt with intensity IV in S. Mateus da Calheta, Terra Chã, Posto Santo, Santa Luzia, S. Pedro, Sé, Conceição, Santa Luzia, Ribeirinha (Angra do Heroísmo), Quatro Ribeiras and Agualva (Vitória Beach), and intensity III in Vila das Lajes (Vitória Beach).
The fifth earthquake on Terceira Island, recorded at 7:03 am local time, had a magnitude of 2.0 and an epicentre approximately four kilometres northeast of Santa Bárbara.
CIVISA reported that this tremor was felt with maximum intensity III in Santa Bárbara (Angra do Heroísmo).
The Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA) also issued a statement on the earthquake registered at 06:41 local time, giving it a magnitude of 3.4 on the Richter scale and an epicentre approximately four kilometres east-southeast of Serreta.
“According to the available information, this earthquake was felt, and a new statement with updated instrumental and macro seismic information should be issued soon,” he added.
The events are part of the ongoing seismic-volcanic crisis on Terceira Island since June 2022.
On Thursday, due to seismic activity on the island, CIVISA raised the alert level for the Santa Bárbara volcano to V3 and that of the island’s fissure volcanic system to V1.