Lack of wearing a safety jacket on small, medium and large vessels is among the causes of deaths during navigation in the Amazon rivers. So says the Fluvial Captaincy of Santarém, Pará. In 2017, the Captaincy opened 28 inquiries to investigate nautical accidents in the region. In all, 19 people died from accidents.
Small boats are widely used by the riverside as a means of transport. Most vessels even have the safety vest, but crew and passengers are unaware of wearing it. For individual use, the vest allows the person to remain afloat in the water in the event of a wreck.
"Usually what we see here in Santarém and the municipalities of the jurisdiction is a disobedience to the rules. Many times we approach some vessels that their crew have their vests with reflective tape, but insist on not wearing them," explains the deputy commander of the Fluvial Captaincy of Santarém, Renato Ferreira.
The Fluvial Captaincy states that any vessel must offer life jackets for the right amount of crew and passengers. Throughout the year, campaigns are developed in schools to warn of the risk of accidents and the importance of using rescue equipment while traveling.
