Brazil: nine firefighters killed in cave collapse

Nine firefighters died Sunday in the collapse of the cave in which they were training in the Brazilian state of São Paulo, according to the authorities. “There are nine dead and one person rescued. There are no more victims there,” São Paulo firefighters said on Twitter.

The accident occurred around midnight local time on the night of Saturday to Sunday in the Duas Boas cave, located on a private property near Altinopolis, about 300 km north of the city ​​of São Paulo. “The cave ceiling fell” as a group of 28 firefighters were participating in an indoor training session, the same source said. Firefighters initially reported 15 people buried, but it turned out that five of them were able to escape from the cave after the collapse. Injured, these five firefighters were able to return home after being treated at the hospital.

The Altinopolis region is famous for its caves, a major regional tourist attraction.