In Brazil, a car with ten people fell into a lake: five children and five adults died

A car carrying ten passengers fell into a lake in the state of Rio de Janeiro

In a rural area of the municipality of Barra Mansa in the state of Rio de Janeiro, a car fell into a lake; ten people died — five adults and five children. This was reported by Euronews citing state authorities. The accident occurred overnight into Sunday: a passerby noticed a submerged car under the water and raised the alarm.

Rescuers and victims

“The victims were already dead when they were pulled from the car,” reads a statement from the government of the state of Rio de Janeiro, as quoted by the AFP agency. Emergency services were dispatched to the scene; firefighters, with the help of two divers, managed to recover the bodies from the submerged vehicle. Some Brazilian media reported that among the dead was an infant girl; the identities of the victims have not yet been confirmed. According to the G1 portal, citing a relative, all of the deceased belonged to one family.

Investigation and context

Local authorities classified the incident as an accident; police are investigating the circumstances of the car's fall into the water. Separately, the outlet notes that the day before, on Saturday, the Rio de Janeiro region was hit by heavy rains that caused street flooding, including in tourist areas such as Copacabana; the reports do not claim any connection between these rains and the accident.