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The Rio de Janeiro Fire Department continues, this Thursday (1st), with the search for a 14-year-old teenager who disappeared at sea off Copacabana Beach on New Year’s Eve, on Wednesday (31st). Operations are concentrated in the vicinity of Post 2, where the victim was last seen, and there is still no information on the young man’s location.
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Teams from the 3rd Maritime Group have been operating since the morning with support from water vehicles, vessels, diving teams and the Air Operations Group. The victim remains submerged, which makes the operation more complex and dependent on sea conditions, which continue to be monitored by rescue teams.
Still on Wednesday, before the turn of the year, firefighters had already warned of the high risk when swimming in the sea due to the hangover warning issued by the Brazilian Navy. The forecast indicated waves above 2.5 meters, a scenario considered unsuitable for activities at sea throughout the 31st, especially in areas with a large concentration of bathers.
The beginning of 2026 was also marked by another serious occurrence. This Thursday morning, an elderly man died after drowning on a beach in the municipality of Maricá, in the Lagos Region. The case reinforces the high-risk scenario recorded on the coast of Rio de Janeiro during the festive period.
During New Year’s Eve, the Fire Department carried out 840 rescues on beaches across the state of Rio de Janeiro. The number represents a significant increase of 2,445% compared to the same period of the previous year, when only 33 services of this type were recorded.
Most of the incidents were recorded on the coastal strip between Leme and São Conrado, where 547 people needed rescue. In Copacabana alone, the stage for the country’s main New Year’s Eve party, 248 rescues were carried out, highlighting the impact of the combination of rough seas and a large flow of bathers.
Read more:
• Alert on the coast of São Paulo: 53 beaches are unsuitable for swimming this holiday
• Brazilian beaches lose sand and residents face the risk of advancing sea
• Jealousy crisis on the beach leads to the arrest of a man wanted by the courts
