Capitólio rockfall
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| Date | 8 January 2022 |
|---|---|
| Location | Capitólio, Minas Gerais, Brazil |
| Coordinates | 20°38′48″S 46°15′56″W / 20.64667°S 46.26556°W |
| Deaths | 10 |
| Non-fatal injuries | 32 |
On 8 January 2022, a rockfall landed on several boats carrying tourists at Furnas Lake in Capitólio, Minas Gerais, Brazil, killing at least 10 people and leaving 32 others injured.[1]
Background
Furnas Lake, a reservoir created by Furnas Dam in Capitólio, Minas Gerais, Brazil, attracts many tourists looking for speedboat rides and diving in the region. The canyons at the site are formed by walls more than twenty metres (66 ft) tall. In an interview with GloboNews, Lieutenant Pedro Aihara, a spokesman for the Fire Department of Minas Gerais, explained that the formation of the site is of sedimentary rocks and, therefore, more susceptible to the action of wind and rain.[2] At the end of the morning of 8 January 2022, the same day as the accident, the Civil Defense of Minas Gerais had issued an alert for heavy rains in the Capitólio region with the possibility of "water head": "Avoid waterfalls during the rainy season".[3]
Collapse
The rockfall occurred around 12:30 pm (local time) at Furnas Lake in Capitólio, in the Escarpas do Lago condominium, affecting four boats with tourists.[4] About 70 to 100 people were at the site, which was isolated and closed.[3] The Minas Gerais Fire Department initially reported that a "waterspout" near the rocks caused the landslide, causing them to fall from a height of more than five meters. However, according to Gustavo Cunha Melo, a specialist in risk management, the waterspout may have acted as a trigger for the landslide, but it was not necessarily the cause of the problem. For Melo, the rock would fall off anyway, due to erosion. The spokesman for the Fire Department, Pedro Aihara, explained that the rock formation at the site and the rains in the region made it easier for the rockfall to occur, and that the way the rock fell aggravated the situation.[4]
The Air Operations Battalion, in addition to divers, were mobilized to work at the site. More than 40 soldiers were in the region and an aircraft started to search. The Furnas River Police immediately deployed Search and Rescue teams to the site.[2] All the victims were taken to hospitals in the region. Three were taken to São José da Barra. Two more seriously injured had fractures in the upper limbs and were taken to Piumhi and Passos in ambulances in the municipality. Another stable patient had a trauma to the face. The others had minor injuries.[2]
Victims
Thirty-four people were involved in the rockfall.[4] Ten deaths were confirmed by the Fire Department by 9 January.[5] Thirty-two people were treated due to the collapse, most with minor injuries. Twenty-seven were attended to and released, twenty-three of them from the Santa Casa de Capitólio and another four from the Santa Casa de São José da Barra. Four remain hospitalized.[4]
Investigation
The Brazilian Navy released an official note shortly afterwards, informing: "An inquiry will be opened to investigate causes, circumstances of the accident/fact that occurred."[4]
The specialist in risk management and safety Gerardo Portela reported in an interview with CNN Brasil that images published on social networks showed that the occupants of the vessels were warned by people around about the risk of the structure collapsing, but the initiative to move away from the region of risk was slow to happen: "These last images reveal that there was time to prevent people from being hit, there were visual signs, there were probably noises, because pieces of rock were lying on the water, it's regrettable". Portela also reported that there was "unpreparedness": "we observed that the boats were overcrowded, with the bow pointed at the risk location, it should be positioned with the bow on the opposite side in case of a possible need to abandon the area. Succession of failures, people farther away were realizing the risk, but they, even being professionals, could not get the right attention".[6]
Reactions
A video began circulating on social networks showing the disaster, and its veracity was confirmed.[2][4] The governor of Minas Gerais, Romeu Zema, lamented the collapse on social networks: "We are currently suffering the pain of a tragedy in our state, due to heavy rains, which caused the loosening of a wall of stones at Furnas Lake in Capitólio. The Government of Minas is present from the first moments through the Civil Defense and Fire Department". Zema also expressed solidarity with the families of the victims: "I support the families in this difficult time. We will continue to act to provide the necessary support and support."[7][8][9] President Jair Bolsonaro commented that this was a "regrettable disaster".[10]
See also
References
- ^ "All 10 victims of Brazil canyon collapse are identified - including 14-year-old boy". The Independent. 11 January 2022. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
- ^ a b c d "Deslizamento de pedras atinge lanchas em Capitólio (MG) e deixa ao menos um morto; veja vídeo". O Globo (in Portuguese). 8 January 2022. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
- ^ a b "MG: Rocha desaba em Capitólio e atinge lanchas; bombeiros confirmam 1 morte". UOL (in Portuguese). Retrieved 8 January 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f "VÍDEO: deslizamento de pedras atinge embarcações com turistas em Capitólio, MG". G1 (in Portuguese). Retrieved 8 January 2022.
- ^ "Wall of rock collapses on Brazil's Furnas lake, kills 10". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
- ^ ""Sucessão de erros", diz especialista em segurança sobre tragédia em Capitólio". CNN Brasil (in Portuguese). Retrieved 8 January 2022.
- ^ "Zema lamenta desabamento de cânion em Capitólio: 'Sofremos hoje a dor de uma tragédia'". G1 (in Portuguese). Retrieved 8 January 2022.
- ^ Miller, Andrew (8 January 2022). "Brazil rock formation collapse kills at least 2, injures 15, caught on video". Fox News. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
- ^ "Wall of rock falls on boaters in Brazilian lake; 5 die". Washington Post. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
- ^ "'Lamentável desastre', diz Bolsonaro sobre queda de rocha em Capitólio (MG)". noticias.uol.com.br (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 9 January 2022.
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