Brazil: rock face crashes on tourist boats

After heavy rainfall, a rock wall in the Brazilian region of Minas Gerais came loose and fell on tourist boats on a lake. Divers search for the victims.

Firefighters are looking for the victims after a rock wall broke off and fell on tourist boats on Jan. 8.

Fire Brigade Of Minas Gerais / Reuters

(dpa)

At least seven people were killed and nine were seriously injured when a rock face fell on boats carrying tourists on a lake in southeastern Brazil. They mostly suffered broken bones. Three people were still missing, as the Brazilian media reported on Saturday evening (local time), citing the fire brigade in the state of Minas Gerais. 23 people were treated for minor injuries.

A video showed the moment when a large part of a rock came loose and toppled onto the tourist boats floating in front of it on the Lago de Furnas in Capitólio. According to the fire department, two boats were hit and sunk.

Accordingly, divers were sent to the lake, located around 400 kilometers north of the metropolis of São Paulo, whose canyons are a popular excursion destination in the region. The extensive Lake Furnas is also known as the “Sea of ​​Minas”.

“We are experiencing a tragedy in our state today, triggered by the heavy rains that detached a rock face on Lake Furnas in Capitólio,” wrote the governor of Minas Gerais, Romeu Zema, on Twitter.

In the state it had recently rained heavily, as in the neighboring Bahia. The Brazilian Navy, which also participated in the rescue operation, announced that it would initiate an investigation to determine the causes of the accident.

source site-111