Two foreign workers die in trench collapse at Porto Covo hotel construction site

Excavation collapse in Porto Covo

Two foreign construction workers died on Monday, 28 September 2026, after being buried by an earth collapse at a hotel construction site in Porto Covo, located in the municipality of Sines. Emergency services received the initial distress call at 16:29 for an incident taking place on Rua Professora Ercília Dias Fialho. The workplace accident occurred during ongoing excavation work inside a trench when the lateral side protections gave way. The resulting landslide caused large volumes of earth to collapse into the ditch, trapping both workers underneath. Tiago Bugio, the Sub-Regional Commander of Emergency and Civil Protection of Alentejo Litoral, stated that the two men were buried at a depth of between five and six meters.

Search and rescue mobilization

Civil protection authorities immediately coordinated an extensive search and rescue operation to locate and reach the trapped men. A total of 29 operational personnel and nine emergency vehicles deployed to the scene, bringing together municipal fire brigades from Sines, Grândola, and Odemira. The response team also included officers from the Guarda Nacional Republicana and medical crews from the Instituto Nacional de Emergência Médica. A specialized Collapsed Structure Search and Rescue Team from the Grândola fire department operated directly within the excavation zone. Although an INEM medical emergency helicopter was initially dispatched to the site, authorities deactivated the aircraft as rescue operations unfolded. A dedicated team of psychologists was also dispatched to provide support to workers and witnesses at the scene.

Sequential recovery of victims

Rescue teams worked through several hours of deep excavation to clear the collapsed soil and reach the victims. Rescuers located the body of the first worker, a 26-year-old foreign national, at 18:15. A physician from the emergency medical and resuscitation vehicle dispatched from Hospital do Litoral Alentejano in Santiago do Cacém declared the man dead at the scene. Search operations continued through the evening to uncover the second worker from beneath five to six meters of soil. Emergency personnel located and recovered the body of the 28-year-old foreign national at 23:15, with medical staff on site confirming his death.

Workplace safety investigation

The fatal accident occurred during construction work for the Pestana Porto Covo Beach Residences, a tourism development owned by the Pestana Hotel Group. The cornerstone for the coastal resort development had been laid earlier in September 2026. Sines Mayor Álvaro Beijinha confirmed that both victims were foreign nationals who were caught in the trench when the earth shifted. The bodies of both workers remained at the construction site late Monday night pending technical assessments by Portugal's Working Conditions Authority. Labor safety inspectors from the ACT traveled to the Porto Covo site to conduct forensic investigations into the trench failure and evaluate whether workplace safety protocols were observed.