Two influencers, Aline Tamara Moreira de Amorim, 37, and Beatriz Tavares da Silva Faria, 27, tragically drowned after a speedboat they were on capsized in the hazardous Devil’s Throat section of the Iguazu River.
According to São Vicente Police Commissioner Marcos Alexandre Alfino, the boat was overcrowded, and despite safety warnings from the captain, the women reportedly refused to wear life jackets, allegedly stating they would interfere with their tanning and selfies.
The decision to board an overcrowded boat ultimately led to a tragic outcome, as the vessel overturned amid rough waters.
Aline Tamara Moreira de Amorim, 37, and Beatriz Tavares da Silva Faria, 27, were among the passengers on a speedboat that capsized in the treacherous Devil’s Throat section of the Iguazu River. The two women, known on social media, lost their lives in the incident.
Credit: @liih_abencoada/Instagram
The tragedy highlights the dangers influencers may face in pursuit of social media content.
Reports indicate that Amorim and Faria were returning from a yacht party near São Paulo when the speedboat—designed to carry a maximum of five people—set off with six onboard.
Although the captain reportedly did his best to ensure everyone’s safety, the choice to neglect life jackets ultimately made the situation fatal.
Amorim’s body was found several days later, washed up on Itaquitanduva Beach.
Just hours before the tragic accident, she and her friend Beatriz Tavares da Silva Faria had shared photos from the yacht on social media, clearly intending to document the experience, according to The New York Post.
Survivors have since shared harrowing details of the incident. One of them, Vanessa Audrey da Silva, credited her survival to a critical decision: wearing a life jacket. She clung to a rock until rescuers arrived.
“There was a moment in the water when no one could see anyone,” she told the International Business Times. Her story underscores the vital importance of safety precautions, especially in unpredictable environments.
While deeply tragic, this incident is not isolated—it reflects a growing trend of social media influencers putting themselves in dangerous situations for the sake of content and online engagement.
In a similar case earlier this year, Chinese influencer Huang Lihong fell into Indonesia’s Ijen volcano while trying to capture the perfect selfie against the dramatic backdrop.
These heartbreaking events highlight the real-world risks that come with prioritizing digital likes over physical safety.
A 2023 study by the University of New South Wales highlights the troubling frequency of injuries and deaths caused by risky selfie-taking, emphasizing the urgent need for enhanced safety measures at popular tourist destinations.
The study points to a global trend in preventable accidents, with India reporting a particularly high number of fatalities linked to selfies taken in hazardous locations.
