Rock breaks and collapses on boats with tourists in Brazil: at least seven dead | Abroad

Divers are still looking for three tourists and day trippers who have been reported missing. Shortly after the disaster, the number of missing persons stood at 20, but most of them could be located via their telephones. The victims were in boats that passed under a cliff and were buried by the falling rock. People were also injured by the meters high waves that caused the collapse of the rock wall.

The accident happened on Saturday at a reservoir in the state of Minas Gerais, more than 300 kilometers northwest of Rio de Janeiro. Since the completion of the dam in 1963, the waters in this region have attracted tourists. The seriously injured have been admitted to medical centers in the town of Passos.

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Local media show images of the falling rock. Under the broken rock, three boats filled with people enjoying themselves on the water in the tourist area in the municipality of Capitólio. Other images show bystanders warning just before the rock falls that “many rocks are falling” and calling on occupants of other boats to move away from the wall.

heavy rainfall

It’s still unclear why the rock suddenly broke away from the cliff. According to firefighters, heavy rain has hit the area in recent days. Images do show that the rock ended up on top of at least two boats. The waves that caused the collapse in the lake have also affected other small craft.

President Jair Bolsonaro retweeted some video footage, reporting that “once the unfortunate disaster happened, the Brazilian Navy moved to the site to rescue victims and transport the injured.”

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