Teen, 18, dies after speedboating Easter fishing trip with boyfriend ‘hits tree’

Thaynara Lima da Silva, 18, had been on a fishing trip with her boyfriend’s family when she fell into the water and failed to resurface with her body found two days later

An 18-year-old girl has tragically died after an Easter fishing trip with her boyfriend turned into disaster.

The teenager, who was unable to swim, was seated in a speedboat without a life jacket moments before she plunged into the water and drowned during a fishing excursion. Thaynara Lima da Silva had been out on Lake Serra da Mesa in Niquelandia, Brazil, with her boyfriend’s family when she tumbled into the water and never came back up.

The tragedy occurred at around 6pm on 4 April after the boat allegedly hit a branch and careered out of control before capsizing, having already hurled the passengers into the lake.

Firefighters said two or three people were saved, but Thaynara sank beneath the surface and couldn’t be located. Footage shared by her family shows the teenager perched on the boat holding a fishing rod and wearing a hat, but no life jacket.

Her sister said the family had been left shattered by the tragedy. 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, couldn’t swim. She had journeyed from her home in Jaragua to spend the holiday with her boyfriend’s relatives, reports the Mirror.

Search operations commenced on the night of the incident and carried on through the following days, with divers deployed to the location despite challenges posed by poor mobile coverage in the region. Her body was discovered on the afternoon of 6 April, roughly 400 metres (1,310 feet) from the shoreline in water approximately 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.

Relatives said the teenager was self-reliant, resolute and closely bonded with her family. She had been living independently for several years and worked tirelessly to provide for herself. It was her first fishing trip, and family members revealed she had been looking forward to it.

Her family noted she stayed very close to her mother, siblings and nephews, despite being independent.