The Brazilian state of Minas Gerais has witnessed a tragic accident that has meant that at least seven people lost their lives this Saturday, according The world. The events occurred in a lake in Capitólio, a small municipality located in the southwest of the state. While several tourists were on a tourist excursion aboard some boats, a part of the canyon’s rock wall came off.
The collapsed wall fell directly on two boats who were near the waterfall of the lake while one of the tourists, who was filming the excursion without knowing what was to come, focused on the terrified area. The images, really shocking, have gone viral in just a few hours through social networks.
The impact of the collapse on the boats left 32 injured, four of them seriously admitted to the hospital. In addition to the seven deceased, three other people who were present are unaccounted for, as reported by Edgard Estevo da Silva, commander of the firefighters.
The Brazilian Navy has informed that it will proceed to open an investigation into the causes that have caused the collapse of that rock wall, although the first hypotheses suggest that the reason for this tragic event is related to the heavy rains that are taking place in the area. Another video recorded shortly before the accident showed the fall of a waterspout and a sudden increase in the volume of water in the waterfall.
About a hundred people present
Pedro Aira, spokesman for the fire brigade in Minas Gerais, explained to the North American network CNN that he had between 70 and 100 people in the lake at the time of the detachment, and that many of them they went ‘flying’ by the tremendous wave which caused the rock to fall into the water, a situation that has been considered atypical.
“What aggravates the situation is the way the rock falls, perpendicular. Normally, when these types of ruptures occur, the rock slides down the structure and falls diagonally or upright.“, he said. For now, access to the area will be closed pending the conclusion of the investigation and new access rules for boats to prevent an accident of this caliber from happening again.
