Tourist from Juiz de Fora drowns on Copacabana beach

The rough, undertow sea, with waves that vary between 2.5 and 2 meters in height, is giving the men of the Maritime Rescue Group (G-Mar) a lot of work along the entire shore of Rio de Janeiro.

Earlier today, around 7:40 am, according to the Fire Department, a tourist who came from Juiz de Fora, with a group of friends, ended up drowning on Copacabana beach, south of the city.

Karina Amaro, 33, was at sea with two friends and ended up being dragged by the strong waves and removed from the water by a team of lifeguards. They performed first aid on the sand and massaged it to revive it and remove water from the victim’s lungs. They then took her in serious condition to the Miguel Couto Municipal Hospital, in Gávea, in the south zone, but Karina could not resist and ended up dying.

Since the weekend, lifeguards have already removed more than 600 bathers from the sea who were drowning. Despite the red flag across the shore, which indicates dangerous sea, many people risk going into the sea and end up being dragged by the ditches and currents.

The orientation of the Maritime Rescue Group is that people avoid entering the sea during today, due to ditches and sea currents. Lifeguards use a whistle to remove bathers who insist on entering the water. The strong sun and the temperature around 36º C meant that the beaches from Leme, in the south zone, to Recreio dos Bandeirantes, at the other end of the city, were overcrowded.