It was reported the boat had just left a floating bare and the skipper was not licensed to operate boats
A woman celebrating her 36th birthday was tragically killed along with her five-year-old son in a boat crash. Six tourists died altogether on the Rio Grande river on Saturday evening (February 21).
It was reported the occupants had just left a floating bar and were heading to a nearby ranch for the night. As the boat headed for the pier, the boat operator failed to see the unlit spot in the darkness and crashed into it, The Mirror reports.
There were 15 people onboard who came from the city of Franca in São Paulo State, Brazil. Local reports told how several people became trapped underneath the heavy hull.
Nine other occupants managed to survive and a group of locals helped the survivors to safety before emergency services arrived to help the wounded. According to the Sacramento Fire Department, only three of the 15 occupants were wearing life jackets on the speedboat.
They also said that the skipper was not licensed to operate boats. Two of the victims have been identified as Viviane Aparecida Aredes, who turned 36 on the day she died, and her five-year-old son, Bento Aredes Ferreira.
The other victims were Marina Rodrigues Matias, 22, Juliana Fernanda de Oliveira Silva Ferreira, 40, Erica Fernanda Leal Lima, 40, and Wesley Carlos da Costa, 45, who was piloting the speedboat at the time of the accident.
It is currently unclear whether they were killed by the impact of the crash or from drowning. An investigation is ongoing.
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