SEVEN IRISH women were robbed at gunpoint early yesterday by masked raiders while holidaying at a villa in the Algarve.
The tourists were having a party by the swimming pool when two men carrying handguns broke into the property.
The women handed over cash, jewellery, credit cards and laptops before the two gunmen fled in a high-powered BMW with two other gang members inside.
The raid took place at 1am at a detached house in Sesmarias, two miles from the popular holiday resort of Albufeira in southern Portugal.
The four men, thought to be eastern Europeans, are being sought by police.
The Irish women, all aged about 30, were said to be in a state of shock but were not harmed.
One of the women said yesterday: “We are too upset to speak about what happened. We are all in a state of shock. It was a very unpleasant experience and we don’t want to talk about it.”
The group, who arrived at the property last Saturday, are expected to stay for a week.
The robbery is being investigated by the Judicial Police.
A spokeswoman for the Judicial Police in Lisbon said: “We can confirm that there was an armed robbery on a house near to Albufeira and the Judicial Police are investigating. No arrests have yet been made. It is too early to say any more at this stage.”
A police source said: “This was a terrifying ordeal for these women. They were enjoying their holiday and this was the last thing they expected. To be robbed at gunpoint in the grounds of a private house is really a horrible thing to go through.
“They are planning to finish their holiday on Saturday as originally planned.”
Irish holidaymakers visiting Albufeira have been victims of a number of violent crimes this year.
Dubliner David Hoban (44) was slashed with a knife and badly beaten by a gang of four men in April.
In June an Irish couple in their mid-20s were assaulted as they returned to their hotel following a night out.
Two British men died after being attacked late at night in the resort. Ian Haggarth (50), from Dunston, near Gateshead, died in hospital 10 days after being beaten unconscious by four men. And Lance Corporal Darren Lackie (21) died in what his family believe was a brutal mugging on March 31st.
Albufeira mayor Desiderio Silva recently called for more police officers on the beat in the town after it was revealed that one-third of the 170 National Republican Guard there work desk jobs.
Meanwhile, an Irish teenager is in hospital after being stabbed on the holiday island of Ibiza on Monday.
Jack McCarthy (19) was knifed four times in the back and once in the face at his flat in the resort of San Antonio.
One of the stab wounds pierced his lung and another his cheek. But he remained conscious and was able to call an ambulance. He was taken to the Can Misses hospital where he underwent surgery.
Doctors said he was in a “serious but stable” condition and was not in intensive care.
Police said they were searching for two British suspects but no arrests have been made at this point.