MANAUS, BRAZIL - A passenger vessel sank Friday afternoon (13) near the Meeting of the Waters in Manaus, capital of Brazil’s Amazonas state, leaving passengers adrift. Authorities have not yet released information on the cause of the accident, how many people were rescued or whether there were any fatalities or missing persons.

Videos obtained by local media show several people in the water, including children, on life rafts as they awaited assistance. The footage also shows nearby boats attempting to help rescue victims.

The Encontro das Águas — known in English as the Meeting of the Waters — is one of the Amazon’s most iconic natural phenomena. It occurs where the Rio Negro and the Rio Solimões converge but flow side by side for miles without mixing due to differences in temperature, speed and sediment density.

The vessel was a passenger speedboat operated by a private company that departed from Manaus en route to the municipality of Nova Olinda do Norte. In a statement, the company confirmed the accident and said it is awaiting confirmation of the total number of people on board.

Officials have not yet disclosed how many passengers were aboard at the time of the incident or which medical facilities the survivors were or will be taken to.

About 25 firefighters, three rescue boats and eight emergency vehicles were deployed to the scene, along with a military police vessel and an ambulance from the Mobile Emergency Care Service. The Marinha do Brasil is also investigating the case.

Amazon Agency