Brazil canyon tragedy: Chilling video shows block of rock collapse on boats, seven feared dead

An enormous slab of rock dislodged from a cliff face upon tourist boats on a lake in Brazil, killing at least seven people.

On Saturday, the canyon wall fell onto motorboats on Furnas Lake in Capitolio, Minas Gerais state. Minas Gerais Fire Department commander Edgard Estevo reported that the said accident occurred between Sao Jose da Barra and Capitolio, from which the boats had been launched.

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What damage did the accident in Minas Gerais, Brazil, cause?

Videos capturing the accident showed a bunch of tourist boats near the cliff when the slab plunged into the water. It landed directly on two boats as others sped off to get away from the scene.

Seven bodies have been found so far. The accident occurred on January 8, leaving 32 people injured. Nine of them had severe impairments that included fractures, head and facial injuries. Three people are still missing.

Mr. Estevo said divers were searching for up to 20 people after the disaster. Some of those feared were located by telephone. According to fire department spokesman Pedro Aihara, among all the people on the boats, 24 were rescued alive.

The Furnas lake, located in the Minas Gerais state of Brazil and known as the "sea of Minas", witnessed heavy rainfall over the past two weeks, possibly loosening the said rock wall. Hours before the accident, warnings to stay away from waterfalls of that area were issued by the authorities.

Conexão GeoClima, a scientific research organization from Brazil, shared a video of a waterfall in Furnas lake was taken moments before the mishap on Twitter, asking viewers to note the sudden volume increase of the waterfall.

Rovilson Teixeira, who has been a boat operator for the last six years, said to the Brazilian reporters:

“We are completely shocked, and nobody really knows how many victims are involved. There is not just one, not just two but probably many deaths."

Romeu Zema, the governor of Minas Gerais, Brazil, shared his thoughts on Twitter that translate to:

"Today we are suffering the pain of a tragedy in our state, due to heavy rains, which caused the detachment of a wall of stones in Lake Furnas, in Capitólio. The Government of Minas has been present from the beginning through the Civil Defense and Fire Department."

Jair Bolsonaro, the President of Brazil, stated:

"We have to comfort the families who are waiting for bodies to show up. This is something we can do with the Navy and the Fire Department in Minas Gerais."

The Brazilian Navy will be investigating the accident.