An eight-year-old girl died when she was run over by the driver of a rally car as she tried to cross the road to reach her sister. The girl was hit at high speed as she allegedly mistakenly believed the last car in the rally had passed before deciding to run out onto the road in Madeira, Portugal. Television footage from the scene showed the driver of the car hit the girl, before stopping in a cloud of white smoke. Shocked onlookers were then seen moving towards the crash to try and help. The tragedy unfolded at the 63rd edition of the Madeira Wine Rally, which attracts thousands of spectators every year. The girl, who has not been named, was treated by paramedics at the scene. He was rushed to the nearby Dr Nelio Mendonca Hospital in Funchal, but died shortly afterwards. The driver of the car was forced to stop. Rescuers treated the girl at the scene, but she later died An onlooker from the scene said: “I’m sure he didn’t see the car coming. Go very fast.’ In a statement, the rally organizers said: “We regret to confirm that the young woman involved in the accident did not survive her injuries. “At this painful time we would like to send our condolences to her family and friends.” Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa sent his condolences “to the grieving family and friends”. Contact our news team by emailing us at [email protected] For more stories like this, check out our news page.
