A traumatic video showed the moment a catamaran sunk with 50 people on board, killing a 76-year-old man, off the coast of Brazil.
Authorities said a group of tourists booked the vessel on Friday morning when it suddenly began to go under on Barra Grande Beach in Maragogi, a seaside city in the northeastern state of Alagoas.
The tourists were being transported to a natural pool near the beach when it sank.
Silvio Romão, a resident from the southeastern state of São Paulo, was identified by authorities as the lone fatal victim.
He was staying at a resort with friends and family in nearby Pernambuco.
Fire department said that the boat, which has a capacity for 70 people, had life vests available for everyone onboard, but none of them were wearing the personal flotation devices as the ship went under.
Footage showed several people who were sailing their boats in the area surrounding the catamaran rescuing the group.
Another video showed paramedics carrying a person on a stretch from the boat and across the sand to transport them to a hospital.
A catamaran with 50 people on board sunk on a beach in Maragogi, Brazil, on Friday. Silvio Romão, a 76-year-old resident from the southeastern state of São Paulo, died in the accident
Pictured: First responders carrying one of the passengers who were rescued after the catamaran with 50 people, including three crew members, sunk on a Brazilian beach
‘It was lucky that a tragedy didn’t happen.,’ one of the passengers said, according to Brazilian news outlet G1.
‘My son was the one who saw the boat filling up and told me.’
‘The (skipper) told the captain to turn on the pumps, but it was too late. People panicked. Only he (son) was wearing a life jacket, the adults and the elderly were not.’
The Maragogi Department of Tourism and the Navy said the catamaran was not registered under the Single Registry of Service Providers to provide nautical tours.
‘It’s a formal company. We identified the owner, he has an authorized catamaran, but this specific one wasn’t registered,’ Maragogi Tourism Secretary, Diego Vasconcelos, said.
‘We didn’t do the inspection to see if everyone was wearing life jackets.’
Authorities said none of the passengers and crew were wearing life vests at the time
The passengers were on their way to a natural pool near Barra Grande Beach when their catamaran sunk
The Civil Police said it would be interviewing the catamaran’s crew and its owner.
‘We reinforce our commitment to the safety and regularity of tourist activities in Maragogi and inform you that all necessary measures are being taken to determine responsibilities and ensure strict compliance with rules and regulations,’ the Maragogi Tourism Department said in a statement.
‘The competent authorities have already begun investigations to clarify the causes of the incident and ensure the safety of all users,’ the agency added.
‘At the same time, the City Hall Crisis Committee was activated and is working in an integrated manner to monitor the situation in real time, providing agile and effective support to victims and their families.’
