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Vila do Bispo - wind farm accident leaves two workers in critical condition

WINDTURBINEFIRETwo employees at the wind farm at Raposeira, Vila do Bispo have been seriously injured after an ‘electrical discharge,’ according to the GNR command in Faro.

The men are in critical condition and have suffered serious burns.

The electrical surge caused a fire which was put out after emergency services were alerted at 12.30.

Personnel from the National Institute for Medical Emergencies arrived in two helicopters and an ambulance team soon arrived to help treat the men and take then to a local hospital where they are receiving care in the burns unit.

At the same site in November 2014, a fire wrecked havoc at one of the wind turbines (see picture) which was too tall for firemen who could do little more than ensure that surrounding area did not catch fire.

Due to the intense heat, two of the huge windmill blades fell off and the stiff wind threw sparks over a long trajectory.

The damage to the top of the tower was almost total but there were no casualties, "One of the first things I did was to see if anyone was still inside the tower because there could have been a team working there, but there was not," said the site manager.

It is not yet know the cause of today's accident but a full safety inspection will be carried out.