Two influencers drown after choosing selfies and tanning over life jackets

Clarence Ford interviews Barbara Friedman about this and other online news.

Listen below (skip to 06:50).

Nearly a month after the tragic drowning of two influencers following a yacht party, authorities have revealed that their overcrowded boat capsized due to a wave, exacerbated by their refusal to wear life jackets.

Aline Tamara Moreira de Amorim, 37, and Beatriz Tavares da Silva Faria, 27, were found dead after their vessel sank off Brazil's coast in an area known as the Devil's Throat.

Sao Vicente police commissioner Marcos Alexandre Alfino reported that some passengers opted not to wear life jackets because they interfered with their selfies and tanning.

The captain, one of the survivours, said he was ordered to take six influencers to shore, despite the boat’s maximum capacity being five passengers.

Consequently, when a large wave struck, the overloaded craft was unable to withstand the impact and began to sink.

Authorities are currently investigating whether the deaths were merely a tragic accident or if they could have been prevented.

Commissioner Alfino said that, "All this is being determined very calmly to conclude if the fatalities were based on recklessness or negligence."

"Natural selection is always the favourite comment on these things because if people are going to be that foolish, then in a way, what can you say?"

- Barbara Friedman

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