How many people died in the Brazil cliff collapse?

Several people were killed on January 8 following a cliff collapse in Brazil.

A canyon wall collapsed onto tourist motorboats riding through lake.

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How many people died in the Brazil cliff collapse?

On January 8, 2022, at 11:00 local time (14:00 GMT), a cliff collapsed onto tourist boats on Furnas lake in Capitolio, Minas Gerais state.

At least seven people were killed, three remain missing, and nearly 32 were injured following an incident in the south-east of Brazil.

Brazilian Navy and local firefighters are scouring the water for more survivors. At least one of the boats was sunk.

A viral video shows the moment the rock detaches from the cliff as onlookers attempt to warn the boats.

Individuals hurt in the accident had injuries ranging from broken bones and head and face injuries. 

The collapse comes after days of rain in the area, making cliffs more susceptible to collapse, Romeu Zema, the governor of Minas Gerais tweeted.

“I sympathize with the families during this difficult time,” he wrote in Portuguese.

Investigations into the tragic accident are still ongoing.

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How did the cliff collapse?

The region on which the collapse occurred, the state of Minas Gerais, had been under heavy rainfall for two weeks preceding the accident.

The rain led to the gradual loosening of the rocks in the cliff, leading to their eventually detaching from the cliff and falling into Lake Furnas and onto the boats.

The Governor of Minas Gerais addressed the tragedy in a tweet in Portuguese:

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