Tour to Iguaçu Falls suspended after death of Dutch tourist

The accident occurred around noon on Tuesday (28). According to the Fire Department, eight people were on the vessel, hired for a private tour: six Dutch tourists and two crew members.

In a statement, ICMBio, responsible for managing the Iguaçu National Park and supervising the execution of the concession contract, lamented the accident. The agency reported that the documentation from the Ilha do Sol concessionaire, responsible for operating the Macuco Safari, is in order and stated that it cooperates with investigations into the circumstances of the case.

The tourist was removed from the water in cardiorespiratory arrest. He received first aid from the park team, and was then taken to the Municipal Hospital of Foz do Iguaçu, where his death was confirmed.

Four victims, three women and one man, were treated at the scene by park staff. The pilot and co-pilot of the vessel later sought assistance at Porto Seco do Kattamaram, a support and rescue point on site, where they were evaluated by teams from the Fire Department and taken to UPA Morumbi.

The Civil Police reported that they were at the scene to begin the investigation. Among the protocol measures are the inspection of the vessel, the collection of statements from survivors, crew and witnesses, in addition to the analysis of the circumstances of the accident and the operating conditions of the tour.

Macuco Safari is one of the most popular attractions in Iguaçu National Park. According to the responsible concessionaire, the tour is divided into three stages: traveling through the forest in electric vehicles, walking along a trail and sailing by boat near the Falls. Macuco Safari activities will be suspended for three days, starting tomorrow.

Due to the large volume of rain in the region, the average water flow at Iguaçu Falls is above normal. On Saturday (25), the volume published by Iguaçu National Park on social media was 8.33 million liters of water per second, around five times above the average, which is approximately 1.5 million liters per second.

The report requested the position of the company Macuco Safari, responsible for the tour, without any response yet. The text will be updated if there is a response.