12 hurt as Rio Carnival float collapses
THE top of a float collapsed during Rio de Janeiro’s world famous Carnival parade early yesterday, injuring at least 12 people, officials said.
The incident involved the second float of the popular samba school Unidos da Tijuca, themed around the Carnival in New Orleans. Revelers cried on the pavement and in the stands as injured people were removed by rescuers.
Police were investigating the cause of the accident.
Rio state health secretary said in a statement that among the 12 injured at the city’s Sambadrome, nine were taken to local hospitals. Health officials also said eight people sought medical attention due to stress.
Rio City Hall said two people were in serious condition. One suffered a head trauma, according to one doctor.
The parade had to be stopped for almost 25 minutes so the injured could get medical attention. The show was allowed to proceed.
Reveler Felix Souza said he was dancing next to the float when the incident happened.
“We heard a burst on the top,” he said. “People started screaming, we didn’t understand what it was. It was a moment of despair for all there.”
Ailton Freitas, a director at Unidos da Tijuca, said their floats had been tested repeatedly before the Carnival.
“We tested three times a week with more weight than we carried today. When the parade approached we started doing those tests every day. We are even more shocked than you all are,” Freitas told journalists. “I don’t know what is happening, but Rio’s Carnival is not being blessed this year.”