The accident happened just before midnight Wednesday and also resulted in 31 injuries, with three tourists said to be in a serious condition, while a further eight also sustained serious injuries but which are not reported to be life-threatening.

The bus, which was heading from Faro to the Western Algarve, overturned as a result of the accident which was recorded at 23:02.

One of the injured tourists was airlifted to a Lisbon hospital, while the remaining injured passengers were taken to hospitals and health centres in Faro, Loulé and Albufeira.

The motorway was closed for four hours following the accident, while the bus was removed at around 7am on Thursday morning.