British mother dies in boat crash on dream holiday in Amazon
A British mother has died in a boat accident on a dream holiday in the Brazilian Amazon on the Rio Negro river.
Julia Metcalfe, 54, was travelling to a luxury lodge with her husband and two daughters at 8.30am on Thursday when the accident happened.
She was only 250 yards from shore on a boat with six other tourists when another boat crashed into them at high speed.
The crash occurred near the port of Ceasa, east of the Amazonian city of Manaus in Brazil.
Mrs Metcalfe was taken to the Joao Lucio emergency department, where she died.
Her daughter suffered head injuries but her condition was not life-threatening.
Vincent Brown, the British consul-general in the state of Amazonas, told local press Mrs Metcalfe was a manager from the south of England.
According to the Daily Telegraph and the Daily Mail, he added: "They saw the man on the other boat approaching at a high speed and the driver of the boat that hit them did not help the victims.
"The family is very upset. It was an act of sheer irresponsibility."
The family arrived in Amazonas on Wednesday and were heading to the Juma Amazon Lodge, 60 miles south-east of the state capital, Manaus.
Rooms at the hotel start from £320 a night, and it boasts 20 bungalows built on stilts over the rainforest.
The hotel's website says: "Located three hours away from Manaus by boat (or 30 minutes by hydroplane), the trip to the lodge is a spectacular tour by itself. Juma´s region is remote and relatively untouched.
"The Juma Amazon Lodge is a small and comfortable hotel designed to be totally integrated to the Amazon Jungle. The construction and operation of the lodge comply with and respect the
limitations of the environment, which is the very reason for the hotel to exist.
"Jungle hikes, alligator spotting, fishing and canoeing are some of our ecotourism activities."
Hotel manager Evelyn Lima said they often use the boat to ferry tourists to and from the accommodation, and had never had any problems. She said: "This boat provides services to the hotel and is official. We always work with it," reports the Daily Mail.
And, according to the Daily Telegraph, the Society of Navigation, Ports and Waterways (SNPH), said: "So far, what we have found is that the boat that hit the tourist boat was not accredited by the SNPH."
Police are investigating the cause of the crash.
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