9 Brazil Firefighters Killed in a Training Exercise After a Cave Collapsed; 15 Still Trapped

Nine firefighters in Brazil were killed during a training exercise on Sunday after a cave roof collapsed.

The Sao Paulo Military Firemen Department confirmed that 28 firefighters were training in a cave on the Gruta Duas Bocas trail near Altinópolis in São Paulo, Brazil. The roof had collapsed during the training exercise, according to an ABC News report.

The department said that an emergency response was conducted on Sunday, with nine firefighters confirmed dead and several were injured. One of the firefighters was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.

Rescue efforts were hampered by rain, making the access difficult. Five survivors were admitted in Hospital de Misericordia and at least three had been released, according to a DW report.

Five bodies were removed from the cave and had to be flown by helicopter. However, the low visibility at night around the area had the four remaining bodies removed by foot.

The rescue had deployed 75 firemen and 20 vehicles.

Training Exercise Accident

The training exercise was done by the Real Life School, with Altinopolis Mayor Jose Roberto Ferracin Marques saying that no one in the local municipality had been informed of such action.

Ferracin Marques said that their Civil Defense was called at around three o'clock to tend to a collapse in the cave, which is a private area. The firefighters and the owner of the farm had no previous contact with the municipality, according to the mayor.

The mayor noted that Altinopolis offered assistance to firefighters and rescue teams. They had provided meals, water, and vehicles.

Ferracin Marques said that the municipality had also given wood to support the parts of the roof of the cave that remain to prevent further collapse, as reported by DW.

Sao Paulo Governor Joao Doria tweeted that he would provide all the support and resources needed for the rescue of the victims.

Real Life School partner, Tania Pereira, said that the rain that started on Sunday had still remained in the region, making the retrieval operations difficult.

The mother of one of the instructors, Cristina Trifoni, said that the group had planned to spend the night inside the cave, according to The Straits Times report.

Meanwhile, Military Police Lieutenant Colonel Rodrigo Quintino said that that kind of training should not be done. He added that it is a level of training that needs a high degree of professionalism, citing that those who have the competence in that kind of training are military teams.

He was also the civil defense coordinator for the region. He further noted that the cave ceiling collapsed on some of the people in the group due to a series of factors.

An earlier report from the Altinopolis mayor's office said that 15 firefighters were still buried, with the three of the victims who were rescued suffering from fractures and hypothermia, according to an NDTV report.

Altinopolis is popular for its caves being its major regional tourist spot.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

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