“The debris removal is underway and progressing at a good pace. Our forecast is to complete this phase in approximately one week,” a source from the management of HolaCamp, a Spanish company based in Barcelona that manages a network of campsites in the Iberian Peninsula, including the one in Albufeira, told Lusa news agency today.

The only unit in Portugal of this luxury campsite network was hit by a tornado on Saturday during Storm Claudia, and the phenomenon caused six victims at the campsite, including one death, two seriously injured and three slightly injured. The fatality was an 85-year-old British woman.

“A total of 12 families had to be immediately relocated within the campsite itself, following safety protocols. It was not necessary to evacuate outside the site,” the same source added.

According to the park management, cleanup and repair work began the day after the storm, which also hit a tourist resort in Albufeira, causing more than 20 minor injuries.

“We are currently finalising the technical assessment with Civil Protection and specialists and have already begun removing damaged materials from the affected area,” said the HolaCamp source.

According to the company, the storm damaged approximately 30 accommodation units within the campsite, including 25 mobile homes, five motorhomes, and several glamping tents.

The most damaged structures were the mobile units, mobile homes, motorhomes, and glamping tents located in the area where the tornado reached its greatest intensity, but the main infrastructure of the campsite did not suffer significant damage.

“The campsite is open and operational. The affected area has been isolated, but the rest of the complex is functioning normally,” assured the campsite management.

In assessing the damage caused by the bad weather, the Mayor of Albufeira, Rui Cristina, told Lusa that the tornado “did not cause significant damage” to public spaces, “nor did it affect” essential municipal infrastructure.

“We have records of fallen trees and vertical street signage, but everything has been practically restored; there was nothing transcendent or very significant in terms of equipment and public spaces,” he emphasised.

The Portuguese Institute for the Sea and the Atmosphere (IPMA) confirmed that the phenomenon that hit Albufeira on Saturday was a tornado, which reached wind gusts of around 220 kilometres per hour, travelling a distance of approximately four kilometres.