The images of a shocking tragedy that occurred this Saturday in Brazil toured the world . A huge rock fell off a cliff and fell on boats carrying tourists , leaving at least seven dead and about nine seriously injured, while three other people are missing.
The terrible event, which was recorded by one of the tourists present through his cell phone, took place in Furnas Lake, a tourist paradise located in the Brazilian municipality of Capitolio, in Minas Gerais .
As can be seen in the incredible images , the rock tower suddenly broke off the canyon wall and collapsed onto several pleasure boats , creating a huge wave over the lake.
Lake Furnas is one of the main tourist attractions in the city of Capitolio , located in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais , in the southeastern region of the country, about 630 kilometers from Rio de Janeiro and another 430 from São Paulo.
A tourist boat navigates through a canyon on Furnas Lake, near Capitol City, Brazil, on Sept. 2, 2021. (AP Photo / Andre Penner)
The municipality has about 8,700 inhabitants , according to the latest measurement by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics , and one of its main economic drivers is tourism. The imposing waterfalls and rivers of crystalline waters that surround it attract visitors from all over the world every year .
“Get out of there”: the desperate cry of the tourists who saw the rock fall on the boats in Brazil
Undoubtedly, the obligatory stop in this town that belongs to the Meso-region of Sul e Sudoeste de Minas , and the micro-region of Passos , is the Furnas Canyon, with its giant stone walls that surround the green waters of the lake. homonymous , formed by the dam of the Furnas Hydroelectric Power Plant, which starts from the Brazilian reservoir built in Rio Grande and is responsible for regulating its flow and in turn providing energy to some 30 cities in the Minas Gerais region.
Although it is very far from the Atlantic coast, due to its majestic natural beauty and its impressive expanse, the locals call Furnas Lake “the sea of Minas” .And those who dare to bathe in its waters say that the temperature is ideal. The typical excursion is done by boat or jet ski and costs between 90 and 100 reais on weekdays (about 1800 Argentine pesos), and 120 reais on weekends (2200 pesos). The journey between dream landscapes and fish of all colors and sizes can take a whole morning.
For all this, the visit to Lake Furnas became an ideal excursion for lovers of natural wonders . In about three hours, you can see four dream waterfalls , ideal for a photography session. And, as if that were not enough, in two of them you can get off the boat to bathe in the warm waters of the lake.
In addition, this excursion includes a tour of the different floating bars that are between the waterfalls to have a drink surrounded by nature.