A MUM and her young son have died after a speedboat ploughed into a pier and flipped over, trapping those onboard under the water.
Viviane Aparecida Aredes, 35, and her four-year-old boy, Bento Aredes Ferreira, are among the six victims of the tragic night-time accident in Brazil.
A group of 15 people set off on a trip across the Rio Grande river on Saturday when disaster struck late at night.
Navigating through the dark, the speedboat driver is suspected of losing control of his vessel and slamming into a pier.
The force of the collision threw some of the passengers backwards as the private boat capsized.
Several of those onboard became trapped beneath the heavy hull as they were forced under the water.
Witnesses claim the pier had no lighting or visible signage in the run-up to the collision.
Footage after the fatal smash captured desperate rescuers scrambling through the murky water trying to flip the boat back over.
Half a dozen men jumped into the water, some with snorkels, as they searched for people under the boat.
The tragedy unfolded on the Rio Grande river between Rifaina, Sao Paulo state, and Sacramento, Minas Gerais state, Brazil.
Police have named all of the six victims including Viviane and young Bento.
The pair’s family friend Marina Rodrigues Matias, 22, also died.
Juliana Fernanda de Oliveira Silva Ferreira, 40, and Erica Fernanda Leal Lima, 41, was identified by officials shortly after the crash.
Captain Wesley Carlos da Silva, 45, was the last victim named.
Military Police and Fire Department officials believe he didn’t hold the required nautical license to operate the vessel.
Nine others survived the fatal collision and were pulled from the river with the help of local residents, divers and officers from the Municipal Civil Guard of Rifaina.
Three people were rushed to hospital for treatment with minor injuries and later released.
Only three of the 15 people on board were wearing life jackets, according to the Fire Department.
The group had just left the Unico floating bar and were heading towards a house in a condominium on the banks of the Jaguara reservoir.
The Civil Police of Minas Gerais said the case is being investigated.
In a statement, the Capitania Fluvial do Tiete-Parana, part of the Brazilian Navy, said it had opened an Administrative Inquiry.
The Unico Floating Bar published a message expressing solidarity with the families of the victims and said it would remain closed for 24 hours as a mark of respect.
A neighbouring venue also announced it would not open in mourning.
Hours before the doomed journey, three of the six victims were pictured smiling together at the floating bar on social media.
