VIDEO: Rock breaks off from cliff, falls on boats in Brazil, 7 killed
Sunday, 9 January 2022 (12:49 IST)
A slab of rock broke off from a cliff and fell onto boaters at a lake in southeastern Brazil, killing at least seven, authorities said.
Three people are missing. Officials said at least 32 people had been injured but most had been released from hospital by Saturday evening.
A number of people had broken bones and one person was in serious condition with head and facial injuries.
Firefighters had initially reported 20 missing, but this was later revised as many of those unaccounted for had made their own way to hospitals.
Video images showed a group of small boats drifting near a waterfall below a cliff on Furnas Lake when a piece of rock broke off, hitting at least two of the vessels.
This is horrifying! 6 people are dead and 20 missing after a cliff collapse in Brazil. pic.twitter.com/J6y1c6Pjiy
Another video on social media shows the minute before the incident, with people warning that "many stones are falling" and advising other boats to move away from the rocks.
Canyon cliff collapse at Lake Furnas, Brazil. 5 orang meninggal, 20 orang hilang.
— ???????????????????? ????????????????????????’???? (@nabilfikran10) January 9, 2022
Where did the accident occur?
Authorities said the incident occurred between the towns of Sao Jose da Barra and Capitolio, located in Brazil's southeastern Minas Gerais state. The boats had left from the town of Capitolio.
Sofremos hoje a dor de uma tragédia em nosso Estado, devido às fortes chuvas, que provocaram o desprendimento de um paredão de pedras no lago de Furnas, em Capitólio. O Governo de Minas está presente desde os primeiros momentos através da Defesa Civil e Corpo de Bombeiros.
Furnas Lake was originally formed along with the creation of a hydroelectric dam and is a major tourist attraction in the area.
Tourists come to see the rock walls, caverns and waterfalls surrounding the Furnas Lake's waters.
Why did the accident happen?
Officials suggested that the rock could have come loose due to recent heavy rains that caused flooding in the state and displaced 17,000 people.
Pedro Aihara, spokesperson for the Minas Gerais State Fire Department, told Brazilian broadcaster GloboNews that the rocks in this area are "more susceptible to the effects of wind and rain" and "show less resistance."
