Videos show moment boats sink during heavy storm in Manaus

Bruno Pacheco – Cenarium Magazine

MANAUS – Amid the strong storm that hit Manaus on Monday, 27, leaving trails of destruction in several areas of the city, two medium-sized boats sank in Rio Negro. The moment when the boats sink in the water was recorded by curious people and crew members, who shared the images on social networks.

In Rio Negro, it is possible to see the intense movement of the water, which makes a three-story pusher boat sway to the point where the boat capsizes and sinks near the Port of Ponta Negra, in Manaus. All the action is recorded in just 2 minutes and 32 seconds by crew members who were accommodated in another boat.

In a statement, the Brazilian Navy, through the 9th Naval District Command, said it learned of the sinking of the pusher and clarified that there were no victims and there is no record of environmental damage.

“A Naval Inspection team from the Western Amazon River Authority was sent to the site to collect information that will support the Administrative Inquiry that has been set up to investigate the causes, circumstances, and possible culprits. As soon as it is concluded and the legal formalities are fulfilled, the inquiry will be forwarded to the Maritime Court, which will make the proper distribution and record, giving sight to the Navy’s Special Attorney, so that it can adopt the measures foreseen in Article 42 of Law 2180/54”, says an excerpt of the note.

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In a video, of 24 seconds, another person shows the sinking of a boat in the Port of São Raimundo, in the West of Manaus. The objects and wreckage of the boat are seen being carried away by the strong current of the Rio Negro.

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Rain causes damage

The rain this Monday, 27, caused a lot of damage in Manaus. In the center of the capital, hawker stalls were hit by winds that made the products of workers are taken by air. In the West of the city, part of the Christmas decoration of the Ponta Negra Tourist Complex, inaugurated last December 6, was blown away by the strong gale.

According to the National Institute of Meteorology (Inmet), the winds were recorded above 40km/h with peaks of 80Km/h. In all, the Civil Defense of Manaus had, until 5:45 pm this Monday, a total of 66 occurrences, including tree toppling, flooding, sliding shack, cracking, roofing, and collapsed house, among others.

Because of the rain, some neighborhoods in the capital of Amazonas even registered a power outage, such as Aleixo, Flores, Parque das Laranjeiras, Ponta Negra, Adrianópolis, Ponta Negra, São José, and Parque das Nações.

In the interior of Amazonas, the cities of Manacapuru (68 kilometers from Manaus) and Iranduba (38 kilometers from Manaus), had the energy supply totally compromised. According to the State Civil Defense, in all, 13 cities suffered from the intense rain.