From Jota to Bryant: 5 sports stars who lost their lives in crashes

Sports and the football world was in shock on Thursday, July 3, following the news about Liverpool and Portugal star Diogo Jota's death in a car crash in Spain.

The striker was with his brother Andre Silva in the the Lamborghini as it veered off the A52 highway and burst into flames, according to preliminary investigations by local authorities in Zamora, in the northwest of Spain.

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Several prominent figures in the sporting world have passed away under tragic circumstances.

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Here, we list the sports personalities who met with tragedy.

Hansie Cronje, 1969-2002

Former South African cricket captain Hansie Cronje, who had led his country to the 1998 ICC KnockOut Trophy (now known as the ICC Champions Trophy) title, died in a plane crash in 2002. Cronje had hitched a ride aboard a medium-sized cargo aircraft from Johannesburg to George in the Western Cape province after his scheduled flight had been grounded. But the pilots lost visibility and crashed in the Outeniqua Mountains. Cronje was the only passenger on board and he and the pilots died in the crash.

But conspiracy theories surfaced saying that Cronje was murdered following his involvement in the big match-fixing scandal in 2000 that rocked cricket.

Kobe Bryant 1978-2020

NBA legend Kobe Bryant lost his life in a tragic helicopter crash in 2020. The Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard, was travelling with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, from Orange County, California to Ventura County when the helicopter crashed in the hills in heavy fog.

Ayrton Senna 1960-1994

Formula One legend Ayrton Senna, who won three world championships in 1988, 1990 and 1991, and known for the famed rivalry with teammate-turned-foe Alain Prost, was killed following an accident during the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix at the Imola Circuit in Italy. The Brazilian was leading the race when he crashed at the high-speed Tamburello corner. Senna was airlifted to hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Andrew Symonds 1975-2022

Andrew Symonds, who shone for Australia with his all-round skills, died in a car crash in 2022 at the age of 46. Symonds, one of the best fielders in the Australian side then, was driving outside of Townsville in Queensland when his car went off the road and rolled. Symonds was pronounced dead at the spot despite attempts by paramedics to revive him.

James Jose

james@khaleejtimes.com

James Jose is Assistant Editor who has spent more than 20 years reporting on everything from sports to health to travel. When he's not polishing copies, he's dashing off to Nepal's mystical mountains to unwind in the lap of Mother Nature.