Mother and three children disappear in Amazonas after river accident
18 de January de 2025
By Thais Matos – From Cenarium
MANAUS (AM) – Early Friday morning, January 17, at around 5 a.m., a pusher ferry towing a convoy of barges collided with a floating house, leaving four members of the same family missing. The accident took place near the community of Urubatuba, in the rural area of the municipality of Manicoré (332 kilometers from Manaus).
According to the municipal Secretary of Environment, Martinha Pereira, the missing individuals are Talita Ferreira and her three children, aged 1, 3, and 5. They were sleeping when the ferry struck the floating house.
The Municipal Government of Manicoré issued a statement confirming that the Brazilian Navy, through the Humaitá River Agency, had been notified to conduct search operations at the site. “The administration is mobilizing all capable agencies, including the Brazilian Navy, Civil Defense, Military Police, and Fire Department. It has also placed its government team on alert to provide necessary support to the search teams and to ensure accountability for those involved”, the statement read.
Search Operations
The municipal secretary also stated that local brigades and teams from the Military and Civil Police had already been deployed to the area to begin the search. The Amazonas Military Fire Department (CBMAM) released a note saying that a team of divers had been sent to the location to search for the missing individuals.
“The Amazonas Military Fire Department (CBMAM) informs that on the afternoon of Friday (17/01), a diving team from the capital departed for the municipality of Manicoré to search for four missing family members who disappeared in the river after a ferry collided with a floating house in the Urubatuba community. After arriving in the municipality, the divers will carry out surface searches and diving operations to locate the victims”, the agency said.
The commander of the Military Police in Manicoré, Lieutenant Miranda, explained that one of the barges was 90 meters long and carried 112 containers. The crew claimed that heavy fog at around 5 or 6 a.m. impaired the ferry captain’s visibility, who only realized something had gone wrong after hearing the victims’ screams.
“It appears that the pusher ferry was on the right side but ended up veering to the left. They have navigation equipment for low-visibility conditions, right? But in this case, only an investigation will determine what really went wrong. The team worked with dedication and effort. From what we saw, the accident happened as described, but it’s still unclear whether the victims are submerged or if something passed over them before the boat overturned and floated”, said the commander.
The commander also mentioned that the divers found debris and even cut through some materials underwater. There is speculation that zinc may be present at the bottom of the river.
“We moved the pusher ferry and brought Captain Magno, the first officer, and a crew member to the police station, where the case was reported. Our part has been done. Now the search continues, particularly for the woman and her three missing children”, he added.