The intense rains that have fallen in recent days in southeastern Brazil have favored the accident, according to firefighters.
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The images are cold in the back. The fall of a section of cliff on boats sailing in a very touristy lake in the state of Minas Gerais, in southeastern Brazil, left at least seven dead and three missing on Saturday, January 8, according to firefighters.
At midday, a large fragment of rock broke away from its wall and fell on three boats sailing on Furnas Lake, a site popular for its green waters and spectacular parade of rock walls. The intense rains that have fallen in recent days in southeastern Brazil have favored the accident, according to firefighters.
In dramatic footage shared on social media, the exact moment the rock mass detached and fell on the three boats could be seen, causing panic among passengers watching the scene on other boats.
URGENT !!! Pedras se soltam de Cânion em Capitólio, em Minas, e atingem três lanchas. pic.twitter.com/784wN6HbFy
– O Tempo (@otempo) January 8, 2022
On other recordings, just before the drama we see people issuing warnings saying that “a lot of stones are falling” and calling on the occupants of the boats to move away from the wall.
President Jair Bolsonaro shared some of these videos on social media, praising the work of the Brazilian Navy which, “as soon as the unfortunate catastrophe occurred”, traveled to the site and worked to “rescue the victims and transport the wounded”.