Private hire minibus sank in Marbella's 'turtle' lake due to a picnic gone wrong

The driver of the vehicle that ended up in the Lago de las Tortugas this week told police that he had stopped for a bite to eat, but had parked the car too close to the water

Juan Cano

Malaga

Friday, 4 April 2025, 19:16 | Updated 19:29h.

The mystery of the private hire van found submerged in Marbella's Lago de las Tortugas has been unravelled. The driver told the police that he had parked by the lake for a bite to eat, but the location of the vehicle too close to the water and the instability of the terrain following March's rainstorms caused the van to slide down. He disappeared for 24 hours, because he was scared of the consequences.

The Mercedes van, which was spotted by a local resident during his morning stroll on Monday, belongs to a VTC ride-hailing company with a fleet of around 40 high-end vehicles. Stanislav, the owner of Balling Transfer and employer of the driver, said that the van is a write-off.

Stanislav said that the driver's shift had ended a little bit after midnight, a few hours before the vehicle was found. However, nobody could locate the driver for 24 hours. After firefighters dived twice, to make sure there was no body in the water, the mystery intensified.

Once discovered, the driver said that the case was a pure accident, without specifying whether there was someone else with him. According to his report, he had finished his shift and gone to the lake to have a picnic. Unfortunately, the lake claimed the van, which was too close to the water, and he couldn't save it. Frightened, he decided to disappear and not have to explain himself.

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