Elderly worker is rescued after almost eight years in isolation in the Amazon

? Follow the g1 Pará channel on WhatsApp According to the AFT, since November 2018 the worker carried out maintenance and conservation activities on the property alone. He was responsible for monitoring the farm, maintaining the airstrip, handling animals and cultivating small subsistence crops. The inspection reported that he lived in complete isolation, in an area surrounded by forest, without regular access to public services, means of communication, medical care or minimum conditions of dignity. According to the bodies involved, access to the site was only possible by air or river. The rescue team used a PF helicopter, departing from Altamira on an approximately two-hour flight to the property. Muddy water and precarious food Among the irregularities found by the inspection was the lack of drinking water. According to the report, the worker consumed water taken directly from the Pardo River, stored in reused containers of engine lubricating oil. He waited for the clay to decant before consuming it, but the water still remained cloudy and unfit for consumption. According to the worker, the food basically consisted of rice, beans, oil, salt and some seasonings sent sporadically by the employer. The elderly man said that there were periods in which the man spent years without consuming beef or chicken. From the river, the man fished piranhas and consumed only the head, giving the rest to pigs. According to the worker's report, in a certain period of 2025, he went for around three months without receiving any supplies. He survived only from the pumpkins he grew and the piranhas he caught, prepared only with oil and salt. Faced with shortages, the man even considered abandoning work, but gave up for fear of losing his labor rights. Degrading housing According to inspections, the worker lived alone in a wooden shack in extreme conditions. The walls of the room had misaligned boards and were full of gaps, leaving the interior exposed to the elements and the entry of animals. The roof was leaky and part of the floor was made of dirt. The bed was covered in debris and shared space with accumulated trash. The kitchen, according to the agency, was a rustic wooden structure, open on two sides, exposed to animals and vectors. Food was prepared on an improvised wood stove, covered in soot. Opened groceries and fruit were stored directly on a dirty table, next to work tools. According to the inspection, pigs roamed freely under the residence, and the appearance of snakes was frequent. The worker reported having been stung twice by a jararaca. He detailed that, during part of the night, he kept vigil to kill bats that attacked the pigs. According to the worker, the bathroom had been unused for around four years. He did his physiological needs in the bush. To take a bath, the elderly man needed to go to the river, where, as he reported, he was stung by stingrays twice. According to the rescue team, the house's lighting was provided by just two lamps powered by a small solar panel. In the room where he slept, there was no light at all. Long periods without human contact According to the inspection, for years the worker remained practically alone on the property. Supplies were brought in sporadically. In some periods, he spent up to three years without contact with family. With no phone signal or internet, he lived completely isolated. According to the worker's report, when he needed to seek medical attention for severe pain in his kidneys, he walked approximately 27 kilometers on foot through dense forest for around a day and a half until reaching the place where another farm worker lived. Extreme social vulnerability In addition to the degrading conditions, the team identified a situation of high social vulnerability. According to the authorities, the worker is 65 years old, illiterate, has severe hearing impairment and vision problems. After the rescue, the task force reported that it arranged for the issuance of a new identity card, registration with the CPF, referral to medical care and initiation of procedures for applying for social security or assistance benefits. In addition, clothes, hygiene products, food and a cell phone were purchased, which allowed him to reestablish contact with family members in Maranhão, Goiás and São Félix do Xingu (PA), the city where he will stay. During the operation, according to the AFT, a Conduct Adjustment Agreement was signed providing for the payment of severance pay and compensation for moral damages. Unemployment insurance guides and other measures were issued to guarantee men's labor and social rights. Complaints Cases of work similar to slavery can be reported anonymously through the Ipê System, available on the website of the Labor Inspection Secretariat.