Furnas Lake in Brazil was the site of tragedy on 8 January 2022, as a huge rock column collapsed onto at least 2 tourist speedboats.
The popular tourist destination north of Sao Paolo, saw 10 fatalities and at least 32 injured as the large slab of rock broke off the cliff, crushing onlookers and sending a large wave across the lake.
A Big block of rock from one of the canyons of Capitólio, in Minas Gerais, Brazil, broke free and hit at least two speedboats that were moored in Lake Furnas.
Firefighters from Minas Gerais were called to the region. Pray 🙏🏼 pic.twitter.com/NEbRPt6cOT
— Kennia Wiswesser 🇺🇸🇧🇷 (@KWiswesser) January 8, 2022
According to Al Jazeerah, all 32 injured are in recovery and most were released from hospital by Saturday evening.
Videos from the scene show tourists rushing to escape the collapsing column, as it separated from the cliffside.
The victims’ bodies were taken to the nearby city Passos, where a coroner worked to try and identify them, which was reportedly challenging due to the ‘high energy impact.’
Furnas lake, also known as ‘The Sea of Minas’ was created in 1958 for the installation of a hydroelectric plant.
Officials suggest that the recent flood causing rains, may have had an effect on the loosening of the rockface.