Brazil: At least 10 dead, 2 missing and 30 injured after wall of rock falls on lake boaters
- A huge piece of sheer rock broke off from a cliff on Furnas Lake, hitting a nearby gathering of small boats
- Officials suggested that earlier heavy rain could have contributed to the wall coming loose
Firemen and divers recovered three more bodies from the lake on Sunday, raising the death toll to 10 in the disaster that injured some 30 tourists hit by falling rocks and a huge wave of water caused when the column of rock crashed into the lake.
Video captured the moment on Saturday when a chunk of canyon wall came loose and plunged onto the leisure boats on Furnas Lake. It is believed that days of heavy rain destabilised the cliff face.
According to the fire brigade, two boats sustained direct hits. All of the dead were on a single boat named Jesus.
Dive teams were sent to the lake, located about 400km (250 miles) north of Sao Paulo, whose canyons are a popular destination in the region.
“We are experiencing the pain of a tragedy in our state today, triggered by the heavy rains that caused a rock wall at Lake Furnas in Capitolio to come loose,” wrote the governor of Minas Gerais, Romeu Zema, on Twitter.
The Brazilian navy, which took part in the rescue operation, announced an investigation to determine the cause of the accident.
