Seven tourist dead after rock face collapse at Brazilian waterfall

At least seven people died and nine were seriously injured when a wall of rock collapsed on top of motorboats below a waterfall in southeastern Brazil on Saturday, the fire department said.

A tower of rocks suddenly broke away from the canyon wall and came crashing down on several leisure boats, sending out a huge wave over the lake at Capitolio, in Minas Gerais state.

Videos posted on social media showed tourists shouting as the column of rock crashed into the water, smashing two boats.

Authorities said three people were still missing after others feared lost were located by telephone. Divers searched the lake. Rescue efforts stopped late Saturday due to “the lack of natural lighting” at Furnas Lake in Capitólio. They will resume Sunday at 5 a.m. local time, said Pedro Aihara, a spokesman for the Minas Gerais Fire Department.

The people hurt in the accident had broken bones and one was in serious condition in hospital with head and facial injuries. Some 23 others were treated for light injuries, he said.

Rescue efforts will continue at least through Monday, situations such as victims being trapped under the rock could potentially prolong the duration of that work.

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said the Navy deployed a relief force team to join the search and rescue efforts.

The state of Minas Gerais, a landlocked area in southeastern Brazil, has experienced recent heavy rainfall. On Friday, the Brazilian National Institute of Meteorology issued red warnings for Minas Gerais, projecting more than 100 millimeters of rainfall daily for at least four days, state media Agência Brasil reported.

The region has been under heavy rainfall for two weeks, which could have loosened the rock face. A video that was posted on social media showed tourists on other boats in the Furnas Lake shouting “get out of there” right before the rock fell.

On Saturday, a dike overflowed at an iron ore mine 300 kilometers to the east, cutting off a major federal highway. Heavy rainfall has fallen in the area and in other regions of Brazil in recent days. In the northeastern state of Bahia, at least 20 people died in severe flooding. (Reuters)