Teen girl dies after Easter fishing trip goes horribly wrong as tributes pour in

Thaynara Lima da Silva had been out on Lake Serra da Mesa in Niquelandia, Brazil, with her boyfriend’s family when she fell into the water and failed to resurface

An 18-year-old girl has sadly died after Easter fishing trip with her boyfriend went horribly wrong.

The teenager, who could not swim,was sitting in a speedboat without a life jacket shortly before she fell in the water and drowned during a fishing trip. Thaynara Lima da Silva had been out on Lake Serra da Mesa in Niquelandia, Brazil, with her boyfriend’s family when she fell into the water and failed to resurface.

The incident happened at around 6pm on April 4 after the boat reportedly struck a branch and sped off out of control before it overturned, having already thrown the passengers into the lake.

Firefighters said two or three people were rescued, but Thaynara went under and could not be found. Video shared by her family shows the teenager sitting on the boat with a fishing rod and wearing a hat, but no life jacket.

Her sister said the family had been left devastated by the incident. She said: “We are outraged at the owner of the boat who did not require life jackets. A part of me has been taken away.”

Thaynara, who worked as a seamstress, did not know how to swim. She had travelled from her home in Jaragua to spend the holiday with her boyfriend’s relatives.

Search efforts began on the night of the accident and continued into the following days, with divers sent to the scene despite difficulties caused by the lack of phone signal in the area. Her body was found on the afternoon of 6th April, about 400 metres (1,310 feet) from the shore in water around 18 metres (60 feet) deep.

Officials said the boat had not immediately overturned and after striking the branch, it ended up unmanned and continued moving and circling the lake before eventually overturning.

Family members described the teenager as independent, determined and deeply connected to her loved ones. She had lived alone for several years and worked hard to support herself.

It was her first time fishing, and relatives said she had been excited about the experience. Among her dreams was buying her own home, something she had spoken about on social media. She had also recently bought a motorcycle to travel to work, calling it one of her biggest achievements.

Her family said she remained very close to her mother, siblings and nephews, despite living independently.