The fire department rescuers battled hazardous conditions to save the two men from floodwaters as their car was nearly completely submerged while they travelled across a bridge
Flood rescue drama as helicopter rescuer saves two men from car roof
This is the moment rescuers in a helicopter managed to save two men from the roof of a car that was nearly completely submerged by floodwaters on a bridge.
The incident took place in the Sao Joao River, between Garuva, in the state of Santa Catarina, and Guaratuba, in the state of Parana, in Brazil, at around 1:30pm on November 16. According to the Fire Department, the vehicle was nearly completely submerged by the floodwaters while crossing the bridge on the border between the two states.
The vehicle was reportedly left dangling off the submerged bridge and the men climbed on the roof of the car. The footage shows how the rescue helicopter approaches the vehicle and winches a rescuer down to their position with a basket before airlifting them to safety and putting them down in a nearby field.
Teams from the 7th Firefighters Battalion had also positioned themselves along the river to provide support if needed. Local media reports said that no one was injured during the incident.
Medical professionals examined the two victims, who have not been identified, and they were then free to go home. Brazil has been blighted by flooding this year with tens of thousands being displaced.
In May, at least 85 people died in floods with 150,000 being displaced from their homes. Heavy rains sparked flooding in the state of Rio Grande do Sul earlier this year.
The floods sparked landslides, washed-out roads and collapsed bridges, leaving a wake of devastation across the state, Operators reported electricity cuts with some 800,000 people being left without a water supply, according to the civil defence agency.
“I repeat and insist: the devastation to which we are being subjected is unprecedented,” State Gov. Eduardo Leite said at the time. He had previously said that the state will need a “kind of ‘Marshall Plan’ to be rebuilt.”
