The canoe sinks in the Paraná river and at least 12 people are missing

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Paraguayan press records four disappeared in the Paraná river

On the night of Monday 04, around 7:20 pm, the Paraguayan Commissioner responded to a request for help from the Paraná river. At the site, a 16-year-old boy was found asking for help. The young man was rescued near a port in Presidente Franco. According to the teenager, he was in a makeshift boat that sank in the Paraná River. Even according to the boy, at least 12 people are missing.

According to the minor’s report, he and the others crossed the Paraná River in a small canoe. They are all Paraguayan men who work as stevedores in Brazil. Due to the restriction on the entry of foreigners, the group illegally reaches the Brazilian side. However, the teenager reported that the ship they were traveling on would have been run over by a larger ship by the time they returned to Brazil. They all fell into the water and so far only he has managed to reach the riverbank.

The teenager said that the boat that caused the accident was similar to the one used by the Federal Police. However, Rádio Cultura contacted the Federal Police Maritime Police Core (Nepom), which denied the information. According to the head of Nepom, Augusto Rodrigues, on Monday night, 04, there was no Federal Police vessel in the Paraná river.

See the interview of the Paraguayan Commissioner’s representatives to the local press in Spanish:

More information soon.