Dutch Tourist Dies After Boat Overturns at Iguazu Falls

A 25 year old Dutch tourist died after a boat overturned during a Macuco Safari tour in the Iguazu Falls region on Tuesday morning. According to police chief Carlos Eduardo Loro, two surviving Dutch tourists reported that the vessel capsized following a strong gust of wind. The boat was operated by the company Ilha do Sol under a concession from ICMBio and carried six Dutch tourists along with a pilot and a copilot.

The accident occurred approximately ten minutes into the journey. While Simepar recorded wind gusts between 35.6 km/h and 53.6 km/h in Foz do Iguaçu, officials noted that local rock formations could have caused stronger localized gusts at the site of the accident. Regarding water conditions, the flow was measured at 4.3 million liters per second at 11 a.m. which is within the safe operating range of 800,000 to 10 million liters per second.

The victim suffered cardiorespiratory arrest due to drowning and was pronounced dead at the Hospital Municipal de Foz do Iguaçu. Ilha do Sol stated that all passengers were wearing life jackets and that their crew members were experienced and trained. The Brazilian Navy has opened an administrative inquiry to determine the causes and responsibilities, while ICMBio has suspended the tour for three days.