The Saja-Nansa region dawned this Sunday immersed in a sadness difficult to describe. Flags are flying at half mast in Cabezón de la Sal and Mazcuerras, the two municipalities that have decreed three days of official mourning after the accident that, in the early hours of Saturday to Sunday, claimed the lives of three young people aged 22, 23 and 25 years. They were traveling together in a car that, for reasons still under investigation, “made several somersaults and ended up totally destroyed and with its three occupants dead”.
The deceased, Alex F.S., 25; Borja D.V., 23; and Pau S.G., 22, were friends of the same gang and well known in the area. The news has caused a deep impact among the neighbors. An employee of the Los Abetos restaurant, next to whose parking lot the vehicle was left, summed it up with pain: “The only thing I know is that they were from here, that we knew them, we know their parents and we are all devastated”.
Mourning in two municipalities and commotion in the whole region
The tragedy has hit especially Cabezón de la Sal and Mazcuerras, places of origin of the young people. Both localities announced the official mourning as “a sign of pain and respect for the loss of the three young neighbors and friends”, according to the municipal resolution, which also moved to the families “the deepest condolences of the entire municipal corporation”.
The mayor of Cabezón de la Sal, Víctor Reinoso, confirmed to Europa Press that this “tragic” news “has shocked the whole region”, where no one remembers such a devastating accident in recent years.
An accident on a rainy night
The accident occurred at around 00.30 hours on the N-634 road, at the height of Virgen de la Peña, in a wet stretch after a day of rain. The first hypotheses suggest that the driver, the youngest of the group, lost control, went up to an island and the car ended up overturning several times before leaving the road and ending up in the parking lot of the restaurant.
The 112 Emergency Attention Center reported that one of the young men survived the impact and was rescued by regional firefighters from the Valdáliga fire station, but died later. The other two occupants died on the spot, and it was confirmed that no other vehicle was involved.
Multi-victim operation and psychological support
Due to the “extreme seriousness of the accident”, 112 activated the multiple victim protocol at Level 1, which mobilized the psychologists of the Government of Cantabria to attend to family members and relatives who, desperate, came to the scene after learning of the accident.
The Guardia Civil de Tráfico and 061 medical personnel were also on the scene, although nothing could be done for the youngsters. The scene, according to witnesses, was marked by consternation, silence and mutual support among neighbors and relatives.
Painful expressions of grief throughout Cantabria
Throughout Sunday there were messages of condolence from both authorities and local entities. One of the most symbolic was that of Club Deportivo Valdáliga, the team in which Borja played, which decided to suspend all the games of the weekend due to the “sad” news of the death of the three friends.
In its communiqué, the club expressed that “the Valdáliga family is in mourning” and sent “all its support, affection and strength” to those who are suffering the loss.
A broken county and a shared mourning
The impact of the accident transcends the local level. The three young men were well known in the area, and their simultaneous death has left a huge void in two municipalities deeply united by proximity and personal relationships. The image of flags at half-mast and messages of support have become the visible symbols of a collective wound that will take time to heal.
The investigation continues, but the pain is already irreversible. Cantabria bids farewell to three lives cut short too soon, while their neighbors cling to mutual support to face a tragedy that has paralyzed the entire region.
