Between Wednesday (31st) and 6am this Thursday (1st), the Rio de Janeiro Fire Department carried out 547 rescues of people on the beaches of Copacabana and Leme, in the south of Rio.
The number is higher than what was recorded between 2024 and 2025. On that occasion, there were 29 rescues. In the state of Rio in total, 840 calls were recorded in Operation New Year’s Eve prepared by the corporation.
For Firefighters spokesman, Lieutenant Colonel Fábio Contreiras, the sea undertow, with waves of up to 2.5 meters, influenced the increase in calls, aggravated by the fact that many bathers did not respect the warnings to avoid swimming in the sea.
“People ignored it. Taken by the heat on a very hot day, they really didn’t follow the lifeguards’ instructions, they didn’t respect the colors of the flags and they often enter the sea even after the lifeguards whistle and end up drowning,” Contreiras told Brazil Agency.
The military added that many of the victims were rescued from helicopters, others were taken by watercraft and some were taken directly from the water by lifeguards.
“There is no way we can’t relate this to non-compliance and disregard for sea safety standards by bathers. It’s a very high number in conjunction with the very strong heat, the presence of a hangover and the non-observance of people who were on the beach”, he stated.
In recent days, the spokesperson had been issuing warnings and even told people not to follow the tradition of jumping seven waves for luck and happiness. The force of the waves brought the waters very close to where the stages were set up for the New Year’s Eve shows.
“Children, elderly people, especially, can be surprised by these waves that can knock people off the edge of the beach and be dragged to the bottom. It’s a type of drowning that can also happen”, he noted.
Missing young man
It was precisely in the surf that a 14-year-old boy, from the city of Campinas, in São Paulo, was carried away by the current late this Wednesday morning yesterday (31). Firefighters are still working to locate the boy. They are accompanied by the family of the missing young man.
According to the spokesperson, since yesterday the corporation continues to employ all the necessary resources such as divers, watercraft that scan close to the place where he was last seen, an inflatable boat equipped with a sonar capable of mapping the seabed, helicopters on the coast and drones that fly over the coast.
“The work continues morning, afternoon, night and dawn. We don’t stop until we can find the victim, even if he is dead. We can’t say that we will find him alive, but it is important to find him to end the family’s anguish”, he said.
The bad sea conditions continue and, therefore, the firefighters’ care remains. According to the lieutenant colonel, the sea continues to have strong waves and a lot of energy. Furthermore, there are some ditches or activated rip currents, phenomena such as tide and wind that favor the occurrence of drownings.
“The guidance is that until Sunday, people who go to the beaches obey and follow the colors of the flags that are on the sand. With a red flag, they are not places to dive”, he stated.
The Firefighters’ report also indicated concern about lost children. In the year 2025 across the state there were more than 3,300. From yesterday until 6am today, 35 children were lost on the beaches.
The lieutenant colonel instructed those responsible to wear bracelets with information about the children so that they can more easily locate their families. “In order not to lose the child, the recommendation is that the adult not be distracted by anything, parallel conversations, cell phones, excessive alcoholic beverages. At sea, they should be at most one meter away so as not to lose sight of them”, he suggested.
Operation Summer
Contreiras added that since December 19, when the increase in the flow of bathers on the state’s beaches was noticed, the corporation has had Operation Summer underway. With it, there was an increase in lifeguards on the beaches and the installation of new positions, with the increase of more than 5,400 new lifeguard vacancies in the additional service on an extra scale.
“Last year, 3,500 vacancies were opened. We greatly increased the number of vacancies and the reinforcement of men and women on the state’s sands”, he said, also informing that the firefighters are still operating with 38 mobile stations, made up of trailers that can be moved to distant beaches that do not have service.
Another guidance given in Operation Summer is for people to avoid bathing at night, when several factors make drowning easier. The alert service has been carried out using drones that send sound messages. “They are generally more lethal and dangerous due to low visibility”, he informed.
