Seven killed as breakaway cliff crashes down on to tourist boats
THIS is the moment a wall of unstable cliff crushed tourist boats as it crashed down into the green waters of a Brazilian beauty spot.
Thousands of tons of rock fell directly on to one boat before debris engulfed two others.
At least seven people were killed in the disaster on Furnas Lake on Saturday. Three tourists are still missing. Thirty-two people were injured, nine of whom needed hospital treatment.
In footage taken from other boats, large chunks of rock were seen falling from the cliff face for around a minute before the vast column gave way. Screams were heard as tourists further away helplessly looked on.
Rescue teams including a diving squad and members of the Brazilian navy joined the rescue operation at the lake 260 miles north of Sao Paulo in Minas Gerais state.
Tourists flock to the picturesque rock walls, caverns and waterfalls that surround the lake, which was formed by a hydroelectric dam project in 1958.
Very heavy rainfall in recent days in south-eastern Brazil may have made the collapse more likely, according to firemen.