A woman has died after slipping from a 130-foot waterfall and hitting her head on the rocks in Brazil.
Tragic Josiane Gomes Ovsiany Fuchs died at the base of the Salto dos Macacos waterfall in Morretes, Parana State, on the afternoon of Sunday, 26th March.
The emergency services were reportedly called to the scene, but after they arrived, they could only confirm that the 32-year-old – who hailed from nearby Curitiba – had died after plunging 40 metres and hitting her head on the rocks.
Her family members said that she had slipped.
Lieutenant Renata Camargo of the local fire department is quoted in local media as saying that two firefighters “from the Morretes Fire Department went to the scene and family members reported that the victim had fallen from the waterfall and hit her head, and was already dead”.
He added: “So, more firefighters were called in to fetch the body.”
The emergency services team, made up of eight Military Police officers and five mountain rescue members, reportedly climbed up to the waterfall on foot.
They retrieved Josiane’s lifeless body and handed it over to the coroner.
The Government of Parana released a statement expressing its condolences over the death, saying: “The Secretariat for Sustainable Development (Sedest) and the Water and Land Institute (IAT) regret the fatality that occurred inside the Pico do Marumbi State Park, at Salto dos Macacos, in Morretes, this Sunday.
“To access the place where the accident occurred, at the top of a 40-metre waterfall, it is necessary to walk along trails for about three hours.
“All visitors are instructed on equipment and safety conditions necessary to reach Salto dos Macacos as soon as they enter the park. Among them, that rescue in case of accidents can only be carried out by air and in favourable weather conditions.
“As this was not the case, the eight firefighters responsible for the action had to travel the trail on foot. The military had the support of five people from the Mountain Relief Corps (Cosmo), a volunteer group that has had an agreement with the State for operations of this type for six years.”
