Tragedy Caught on Video: Boat Caught Under Collapsing Cliff, Killing Seven and Injuring Dozens
At least seven people were killed Saturday when a cliff collapsed into a Brazilian lake dotted with boats.
Three people remain missing and 32 others were hurt, according to the BBC.
Video shows the collapse begin as a few rocks fell from a cliff face into the lake in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, in the southeastern part of the country. Then, one giant section of rock falls into the water.
As the rocks begin to fall, one person can be heard on the video issuing a vain plea for those in boats near the cliff to “get out of there.”
Terrible video out of Lake Furnas, #Brazil, captures the moment a canyon cliff collapses on boats full of tourists. Latest reports say at least 5 dead 20 missing.pic.twitter.com/03LrGX0kIL
— Albert Solé (@asolepascual) January 8, 2022
The video made it appear that at least one boat sank.
Three boats were struck by falling rock, Mina Gerais Fire Department spokesman Lt. Pedro Aihara said. Nine of the 32 people hurt required hospitalization, he said.
Heavy rains caused the rock formations along Furnas Lake to come loose, said Romeu Zema, the governor of Minas Gerais, according to CNN.
Divers were looking for survivors or to recover those still missing.
The search ended at dusk Saturday, but was scheduled to resume Sunday and continue through Monday if necessary
One woman, identified as Alessandra Barbosa, told the Brazilian network EPTV that her uncles, who were taking a boat tour on the lake, were among those missing, according to the BBC.
“I called local hospitals. So far I haven’t had any information about them. We are distressed, very concerned,” she said.
“We get nervous because we have no information and it’s family, right? Family is everything to us.”
A witness, identified as Rovilson Teixeira, told the Brazlian outlet OTempo that the collapse was unlike anything he had ever seen. according to Just The News.
“We are all stunned, nobody knows how many victims, but I can already tell you that there were not one or two deaths, but many deaths,” he said.
“There are a lot of hurt people. The region is full of ambulances that have come from other areas to pick up the victims, but no one yet realizes the scale of the tragedy here,” he said.
The Brazilian Navy will investigate the incident, according to ABC.
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