The Legal Medical Institute identified the body of student Gabriel Vila Real da Rocha, 17, who was on the bus that fell into the Quitandinha River during the storm that hit Petrópolis, in the mountainous region of Rio de Janeiro, last week.
The young man appeared in a video on top of one of the collectives that were swept away by the current of the river that cuts through the city. The images caused great commotion.
The body was found by firefighters in the river on Tuesday (22), a week after the tragedy. The Civil Police collected DNA samples from Gabriel’s father, Leandro Rocha, this week.
Comparison with the young man’s genetic material confirmed the identity.
Leandro created his own rescue network that brought together volunteers who worked incessantly in the search for Gabriel since Friday (18).
Excited, the boy’s father was at the Corrêas IML this Thursday (24) and asked that the searches continue to find the 48 people who are still missing.
“I want to thank God first because we found my son. And I want to thank everyone involved, without exception. I also wanted to leave a message for them not to stop the search for those who are still missing. I found my son, but there are still many hoping to find his,” declared Leandro.
So far the Civil Police have confirmed 208 dead in the disaster caused by heavy rains. 191 victims have already been identified.
Source: CNN Brasil
