Shipwreck hearing at Encontro das Águas begins this Thursday (20) in Manaus

Passengers are left adrift after vessel sinks at Encontro das Águas in Manaus Reproduction/Social Media The hearing for the investigation into the sinking of the boat Lima Abreu XV, at Encontro das Águas, in Manaus, begins this Thursday (20), at 8:30 am, at the Minister Henoch Reis Justice Forum. The accident happened on February 13 this year and left three people dead and others missing. The vessel, operated by the company Lima de Abreu Navegações, left Manaus bound for Nova Olinda do Norte when it sank. The accident left three people dead, five missing and 71 survivors were rescued. The defendant in the case is Pedro José da Silva Gama, appointed as the vessel's driver. The Amazonas Public Ministry (MPAM) asks that he be held responsible for the crime of qualified homicide. The hearing will be held by the 2nd Court of the Jury of the District of Manaus, under the presidency of Judge Fábio Lopes Alfaia. The session will have a hybrid format, with participation in person and via videoconference. ? Join the g1 AM channel on WhatsApp During the hearing, witnesses for the prosecution and defense will be heard. Finally, the defendant will be interrogated. Of the ten witnesses listed in the process, two are minors. Their testimonies will be carried out in accordance with Law No. 13,431/2017, known as the Protected Listening Law, through special testimony. After the hearing ends, a period will be opened for the prosecution and defense to present the briefs, which correspond to the final arguments. After this step, the process will be ready for the pronunciation decision. In this decision, the judge will analyze whether there are sufficient elements for the defendant to be brought to trial by the Jury Court. Searches suspended On July 8, the Amazonas Military Fire Department (CBMAM) suspended the search for the five missing people after almost five months of operation. According to the corporation, the decision was taken after exhausting the possibilities of locating the victims. The searches began on the day of the accident and used drones, boats and sonar equipment to read the riverbed. The families of the missing also followed the work of the teams throughout the search. At the time, CBMAM also informed that the corporation would remain on alert and could resume operations if evidence emerged that would help locate the missing. In addition, family members of three missing people requested the corporation's police report. According to CBMAM, the document, registered in the National Public Security Information System (Sinesp), is the first step in filing a presumed death request in court. The sinking The boat, from the company Lima de Abreu Navegações, left Manaus at around 12:30 pm. During the trip, the vessel sank near Encontro das Águas, a region where the Negro and Solimões rivers meet. Videos recorded by passengers show people, including children, adrift in the water, many wearing life jackets or leaning on rafts as they awaited help. The causes of the accident have not been officially disclosed and remain under investigation. Shortly after the accident, some of the passengers were rescued by vessels sailing through the region. Then a rescue operation was mounted. One of the episodes that drew the most attention during the rescue was the rescue of a premature baby, just five days old, placed inside a cooler. To prevent the newborn from having direct contact with the water, family members placed the child inside the container, which remained adrift until rescue teams found it. The baby's mother, who had traveled to Manaus to give birth, was also saved. Both were taken for medical attention. Witnesses also reported moments of tension before the sinking. A passenger stated that she even warned the boat pilot to reduce speed because of the banzeiro, strong waves common in the Encontro das Águas region. In a video recorded while she was adrift, she reported that she had asked the driver to "slow down". Watch below: Passenger on a boat that sank at the Meeting of the Waters in Manaus records video while drifting Who are the victims Among the victims are Samila de Souza, aged 3, Lara Bianca, aged 22 and Fernando Grandêz, aged 39. Samila and Lara's bodies were found hours after the sinking. According to the State Department of Health of Amazonas, Samila was taken to the East Zone Children's Emergency Room, but was already lifeless when she was admitted to the unit. To g1, Samila's family informed that she had traveled to Manaus for the first time and was returning to Urucurituba, the city where the boat would stop. Lara Bianca was born in Nova Olinda do Norte and studied dentistry in Manaus. According to friends, she was about to finish her degree. Her body was rescued and taken to the Fire Department's river squad, in the Port of Manaus, and then sent to the Legal Medical Institute (IML). Gospel singer Fernando Grandêz, aged 39, had his body found three days after the wreck during search work in the region. Linked to gospel music, Fernando was a singer and used to participate in religious events held in the capital of Amazonas. The presentations were shared on social media, almost always accompanied by captions expressing faith. INFOGRAPHIC - Shipwreck in Manaus g1