4 Killed on Carnival Float in Brazil: 'Pele' Float Catches Fire (PHOTO, VIDEO)
Four people have been killed on a carnival float in Brazil in a tragic accident in the port city of Santos.
According to reports, a fire broke out on a Carnival float, resulting in the deaths of four people, as well as injuring five others.
A Santos fire department official has reported that the float caught fire shortly after the Sangue Jovem samba school ended its parade at dawn on Tuesday, according to The Associated Press.
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The fire crewman spoke to AP on the condition of anonymity as he was not authorized by his superiors to speak to the press about the incident.
However, the source confirmed that three of the four victims in the accident were people pushing the float along. The fourth woman was a woman who was simply watching the parade go by, the fireman added.
Five others were reportedly seriously injured, although no official update on their conditions have been released.
One official with the carnival parade has reported to press that various witnesses had seen the float hit a power line. Eye witnesses reportedly said that the float sparked on fire as it hit the power line, sparking the tragedy.
According to the BBC, the incident caused electricity to be knocked out in thousands of home in the local area, and street lights also went off causing the area to be plunged into darkness early on Tuesday
There were three more days left of the parade, however, Santos Mayor Paulo Alexandre Barbosa has announced to local media that the event would now be suspended to mourn those killed in the tragedy.
Mayor of Santos, Paulo Alexandre Barbosa, has said following the incident, "This is a tragedy for our city. We cannot continue the parade in the current mood. This is a moment of extreme sadness."
The float involved in the accident belonged to samba group, Sangue Jovem (Young Blood), which has been formed mainly by fans of Santos Football Club.
The float in question was designed as a tribute to football legend Pele, who played for Santos Football Club for more than a decade from the late 1950s to early 1970s.
Local media has reported that a group of children were on top of the float during the parade, but had just departed the float prior to the fire breaking out. None of the children were injured, officials have confirmed.
Here is video footage of the tragic fire:
