Irish boy, 5, dies in quad bike accident

A five-year-old Irish boy has died and his brother is seriously ill following a quad bike accident in Portugal, local media reported.

A six-year-old Portuguese boy also died in the crash in a quiet street in the town of Casal Novo in the Coimbra region, in the northern half of the country at 5.30pm Irish time on Friday.

It is understood that the two Irish boys and the Portuguese boy, named as Martim Antunes, were on the quad bike and were not wearing helmets while it was being driven by a British man, aged 50.

Antunes died at the scene, while the Irish boys suffered serious injuries and were taken to the Paediatric Hospital in Coimbre, where the five-year-old died.

His elder brother suffered multiple fractures and was said last night to be in a stable condition. The Irish boys’ mother — believed to be from Bangladesh — is at his bedside.

There was confusion over the nationalities of the family, with local press initially reporting they were British.

A spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs said nobody had contacted the department or its representatives in Portugal seeking consular assistance. The spokesperson said the embassy in Lisbon was aware of the case from local reports.

Similarly, a spokesperson for the UK department of foreign affairs said it had not been contacted in relation to the accident.

The driver of the quad bike, believed to be a construction worker, suffered slight injuries and was reported to have left the scene of the accident.

He was later arrested and on Saturday was brought to court and charged with negligent homicide and a failure to aid police.

It is understood the quad bike involved in the incident was privately owned and that the crash took place not far from a bar owned by the boy’s parents.

It was reported that they moved to the area two years ago on buying the pub and that they knew the British driver of the quad bike.

It is understood he has been living in the area for a number of years.