RONDÔNIA, BRAZIL - The Walter Bártolo Hospital Boat, which belongs to the state of Rondônia, sank in the early hours of Wednesday (30) in Guajará-Mirim (RO).
The unit, which served communities located along the banks of the Mamoré and Guaporé rivers, cost the state millions.
According to witnesses, around 2:40 a.m., the vessel was being carried downstream by the strong current of the Mamoré River.
Some equipment, such as freezers, refrigerators, and buoys, were seen floating in the river.
The Fire Department was called and confirmed that the boat was empty.
Images show the vessel capsized in the river.
The State Department of Health (Sesau) stated that the boat provided care to riverside and Indigenous patients in the region and was docked on the bank of the Mamoré River.
The state government is awaiting a technical report from the Military Police and the Brazilian Navy, who are conducting investigations into the causes of the incident.
The Walter Bártolo Hospital Boat, operated by the Government of Rondônia, was acquired through a social compensation agreement made by the Jirau Hydroelectric Plant’s concessionaire, Energia Sustentável do Brasil (ESBR), with the aim of mitigating the social impacts caused by the construction of the plant.
According to Jirau, the fully equipped hospital boat was delivered to the government in 2016.

images: Leonardo Mendes

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