Ferry Capsizes Off of Salvador; At Least 18 Bodies Have Been Recovered

08/25/2017 - 10h59

A ferry capsized just off of Salvador, Bahia, in the All Saints' Bay (Todos-os-Santos bay), leading to at least 18 deaths on the morning of Thursday the 24th.

The ferry, which has a capacity of 162, was carrying 124 passengers, including four crew members and four police officers.

A photograph was taken this morning of a rescuer holding a six-month-old baby. The baby, whose name was Davi Gabriel Martim, passed away.

He was with his mother and sister who were going to take him to the pediatrician. When the ferry capsized, the three of them fell into the water. The mother and the sister survived, but Davi Gabriel didn't make it.

It was 6:30am. The water was choppy and it was raining heavily as the ferry pulled out of Vera Cruz on the island of Itaparica, and headed toward Salvador, the state capital.

A few minutes later and only 200 meters out into the bay, the trip came to an abrupt end when a series of big waves struck the boat which then capsized. The passengers were flung into the water.

This was the second major boat accident in Brazil this week. On the night of Tuesday the 22nd, a vessel in the state of Pará sank with 49 people on board - 21 passengers died, 23 managed to save themselves and another 5 were still missing as of Thursday.

Translated by THOMAS MATHEWSON

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	Xando Pereira/ Ag. A Tarde/Folhapress
	A ferry capsized just off of Salvador, Bahia, in the All Saints' Bay, leading to at least 18 deaths on the morning of Thursday