Rough sea overturns ferry with fireworks in Praia Grande (SP) and cancels burning

A few hours before New Year's Eve, the fireworks display in Praia Grande, on the south coast of São Paulo, was canceled after a ferry with fireworks tipped over into the sea on the afternoon of this Sunday, 31st. The artifacts would be used to light up the sky from the Tupi neighborhood region, but they all went into the water due to the agitation of the tide, according to the city hall. There are no reports of injuries in the accident.

In a statement, the administration states that the fireworks display was canceled on the advice of the Port Authority, due to “the tide and storm surges that affect the entire coastline”. All the fireworks would be fired from five rafts installed at sea. According to the city hall, this instability of the waters creates instability in the vessels that house the artifacts for the pyrotechnic show. For this reason, the company responsible for the show complied with the guidance and decided to cancel the show.

“The installed ferries were impacted by the agitation of the tide, making it impossible to remain at sea,” said the note. “The company that won the bid, responsible for the fireworks display, chose to cancel the pyrotechnic show, following recommendations from the Port Authority.”

The programming of the arenas, which hosted musical performances on Sunday night, continued normally.

The artifacts from the overturned ferry all went into the water and reached the sandy beach. The locations where the ferries were installed were authorized and defined by the Port Authority, based on the tide table, and availability of underwater cabling and submarine outfalls. City hall announced last Thursday, the 28th, that the entire structure would have “tugs to guarantee the safety of vessels” during New Year’s Eve festivities.

The city of Praia Grande, which has 22 kilometers of coastline, promised a night with 15 minutes of pyrotechnic shows, including musical performances in 10 arenas spread across the city.