Brazil: Firefighters suspend search in Capitólio; tragedy totals 10 deaths

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The Minas Gerais Fire Department teams on Sunday, January 9, wrapped up the search for missing people after the accident in Capitólio, Minas Gerais. On Saturday, a chunk of the rocky wall of one of the canyons came loose and collapsed over boats. To date, 10 people have been found dead.

On Saturday night, 3 people were missing in the Furnas Lake. The firemen found 3 intact bodies during Sunday’s search and are awaiting for identification from the Civil Police to determine if they are the missing people. Divers called off the search at around 7:50 PM, due to the poor visibility at the site.

This Monday, the corporation will resume the search. There is no specific name or a specific missing person. The firemen are examining whether a diver or someone not on the boats may have been affected by the accident.

FOUND ON SUNDAY

The bodies found on Sunday were of a 14 year old teenager, from Alfenas (MG), and his father, a 37 year old man, from Itaú de Minas (MG).

They are, respectively, grandson and son of the 67-year-old man, born in Anhumas (SP), and the 57-year-old woman, born in Itaú de Minas (MG), already confirmed dead in the accident, in addition to a third person.

The total number of deaths reaches 10 people. At least 4 boats were impacted.

“I can’t say that the search is over and that these are all the missing people, because there is still no official identification of the victims. These last 2 bodies are not yet officially identified,” said Police Chief Marcos Pimenta.

The boat “Jesus” was the most affected and where all the victims were registered. The boat’s owner is a relative of the victims and is cooperating with the Civil Police in identifying the bodies.

According to the Minas Gerais Fire Department Colonel Giuvane Barbosa, 8 victims of the Capitólio landslide belonged to the same family. The group was staying at a ranch in São José da Barra.