RSOE EDIS - Situation Update No. 1 : Brazil - Vehicle Accident

RSOE Emergency and Disaster Information Service Budapest, Hungary RSOE EDIS ALERTMAIL

Situation Update No. 1 Posted:2009-12-22, 19:09:32 [UTC] Ref.no.: VI-20091222-24270-BRA Situation Update No. 1 On 2009-12-24 at 04:09:54 [UTC] Event: Vehicle Accident Location: Brazil State of Pará Amazon River Number of Deads: 8 person(s) Number of Missing: 6 person(s) Number of Evacuated: 94 person(s) Situation: The recovery of the body of an 11-year-old girl brought to eight the death toll from the capsizing of a passenger boat in the Amazon River, authorities in the Brazilian state of Para said Wednesday. The Almirante Barroso went down Monday night between the Para towns of Prainha and Monte Alegre with at least 109 people aboard, 94 of whom were rescued safe and sound, according to the latest bulletin from emergency services. Four of the confirmed fatalities were minors. Search and recovery efforts resumed at dawn Wednesday, but remained hampered by the strong current and poor visibility. Though the boat’s maximum legal capacity was 100, some survivors told authorities that 150 people were aboard at the time of the collision with a sandbar. The Para state port authority has opened an investigation into the accident. Boats are the principal means of transportation in Amazonia, where torrential rains and flooding often make roads impassable. But accidents are frequent, as many operators routinely overload their vessels and decline to register the boats in order to avoid safety inspections. Shipwrecks on the Amazon and its tributaries have cost 189 lives over the past three years, the Web site Uol said, citing figures from the port authority. Please DO NOT reply to this message: replies may be treated as errors and result in your subscription being deleted. If you have trouble or other queries, send email to havaria@rsoe.hu RSOE EDIS is operated by the National Association of Radio-Distress Signalling and Infocommunications (RSOE), Budapest, Hungary. Because of the complexity of this system and its dependence on other systems, we cannot be responsible for delays or failures in forwarding or transmission. You're receiving this AlertMail because you subscribed for the service. To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. Contact: havaria@rsoe.hu