Bodies on the boat: cause of deaths may have been lack of water and food, says PF

The Federal Police believe that the cause of death of the nine people found in the boat found on the coast of Pará was a lack of water and food.

“The work now begins with expertise. The bodies go to Belém for identification. The cause of death is not yet known. But it was probably a lack of food and water”, says delegate José Roberto Peres, superintendent of the Federal Police in the state.

The Federal Police investigation, which has already begun, must pinpoint exactly where the boat left and the causes of the deaths.

Experts and coroners from Brasília were sent from Brasília to Pará for the task force on Saturday (13), the day the boat was found. Now, medical-legal and forensic examinations will be carried out on the vessel to identify all victims, following Interpol's international disaster victim identification protocol (DVI).

The experts will analyze DNA and compare it with the national database of genetic profiles, to find out if there is identification, if they are Brazilian or not. According to local authorities, the hypothesis that they are foreigners is reinforced because there have been no reports of missing Brazilians in the region in recent days.

Documents found on the boat also indicate that the vessel left after January 17, 2024 from Mauritania, Africa, and that the victims were migrants from that country and Mali.

The distance estimated by the PF from where the boat was adrift until it was found in Pará is 4,800 km.