Brazil Charges 4 in New Year’s Eve Ship Capsizing
Police charged four people Thursday in the capsizing of a Brazilian tourist ship that killed 55 party-goers who planned to spend New Year’s Eve watching the fireworks on Copacabana Beach.
The charges of putting lives at risk on public transport were lodged against two of the ship’s owners, the owner of the travel agency that arranged the trip and the ship’s mechanic. They carry a maximum sentence of 24 years in prison upon conviction.
A total of 125 people testified at an inquiry which concluded that the ship had been poorly maintained and was overloaded as it set out just before midnight last New Year’s Eve.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
