Ten dead after a car plunges into a lake near Rio de Janeiro in Brazil

The crash

Ten people died when a car plunged into a lake in Barra Mansa, a municipality in the south of Rio de Janeiro state, about 140 km from Rio de Janeiro city. Brazil's military police reported the accident, and the vehicle was carrying all ten people when it left the road and went into the water. Most outlets place the crash on the evening of Saturday, 7 November, while Europa Press dated it to the early hours of Sunday, 8 November. A passerby noticed the car in the water and called for help, but could not say how long it had been there. Authorities have not yet established how the vehicle left the road and ended up in the lake.

The recovery

About 30 firefighters and two divers took part in the operation, which also used vehicles and a boat. Reports give different counts of land vehicles, with Europa Press citing seven and El Confidencial citing ten. Rescuers recovered all ten bodies from the lake, and Greek outlets noted that they reached the car too late to save anyone. The state government said in a statement that the victims had already died by the time rescuers pulled them from the vehicle. Local authorities described the incident as an accident and expressed their condolences on social media.

The victims

The breakdown of the dead differs between reports. Europa Press, citing the authorities, listed a baby, a girl, two boys, four women and two men. La Libre and El Confidencial reported five children among the dead, and Greek outlets, citing local authorities, said there were five adults and five children. Reports agree that children were among the dead, though the exact number remains disputed. A relative cited by the G1 network said that all ten belonged to the same family, which lived in the Santa Cruz neighborhood of Volta Redonda, on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro. The victims have not yet been identified.

Weather and investigation

Heavy rain fell across the Rio de Janeiro area on Saturday, 7 November, flooding several roads, including sections in tourist areas such as Copacabana. Flooded streets were reported on the same day as the crash, but the timing of the rainfall relative to the crash is not established. Authorities have not confirmed whether the weather contributed to the accident. State police said they are conducting an on-site investigation into the circumstances and causes of the car's fall into the lake. The precise conditions under which the tragedy happened remain unclear.