A tragedy has struck Brazil, where ten members of the same family—including five children—lost their lives when the car they were traveling in overturned and ended up in a lake, in the Barra Mansa region of the state of Rio de Janeiro. Among the victims was an infant, and the vehicle—which was carrying more people than allowed—was found submerged in the water by a passerby. Authorities are investigating the circumstances of the accident, which occurred on Saturday night (November 7).
The accident occurred in a rural area near Quatis, in the municipality of Barra Mansa, in the southern part of the state of Rio de Janeiro.
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According to Brazilian authorities, the car overturned and ended up in the lake, resulting in the deaths of all ten passengers.
A passerby spotted the submerged vehicle in the early hours of Sunday morning (November 8) and immediately alerted emergency services.
The witness was unable to determine how long the car had been in the water.
Rescuers who arrived at the scene determined that none of the occupants had survived.
“The victims were already dead when they were pulled from the vehicle,” the government of the state of Rio de Janeiro said in a statement.
Five children among the victims; vehicle was overloaded
According to the official report, the dead include five adults and five children, among them an infant.
A relative of the victims told the Brazilian news network G1 that all the passengers were members of the same family, who lived in the Santa Cruz neighborhood of Volta Redonda.
The victims’ identities had not been officially confirmed by the authorities.
One of the possibilities being investigated is that there were more people in the car than the permitted number of passengers.
At the same time, according to initial reports, the location where the accident occurred was unlit, and no security cameras were found nearby that could help reconstruct the circumstances of the incident.
With 30 firefighters and two divers, the recovery operation
A large contingent of the Fire Department was mobilized to respond to the incident.
Approximately 30 firefighters from five units participated in the operation, assisted by ten vehicles, one boat, and two divers.
The divers searched the lake and recovered the bodies of the ten passengers from the submerged car.
The police conducted an on-site investigation at the scene, and the vehicle’s documents were seized for examination as part of the investigation.
The bodies were transported to the Institute of Forensic Medicine in Volta Redonda for the required examinations.
The case has been taken over by the 90th Police Precinct in Barra Mansa, with the investigation focusing on how the car veered off the road and ended up in the water.
Heavy rainfall in the area; three days of mourning
The accident occurred over a weekend during which the state of Rio de Janeiro experienced heavy rainfall and flooding in various areas.
Authorities had issued warnings about severe storms, flooding, and landslides. However, it has not been proven that the weather conditions caused this particular accident.
The police are continuing their investigation to determine the exact circumstances of the tragedy.
The municipal government of Barra Mansa declared three days of official mourning beginning Sunday (November 8) in memory of the victims.
As part of the mourning period, flags at municipal buildings and public offices will fly at half-mast, while the government of the state of Rio de Janeiro expressed its deep sorrow over the deaths of the ten people.
Source: protothema.gr
