Two influencers drowned on sinking yacht ‘after refusing life jackets because they’d ruin selfies’, police chief says

TWO influencers drowned to death as they refused to wear life jackets when the party boat they were on sank, police said.

Aline Tamara Moreira de Amorim, 37, and Beatriz Tavares da Silva Faria, 27, died as they reportedly thought the life-saving gear would ruin their “selfies.”

Tragedy struck after an overcrowded boat was sunk by a wave on a stretch of coast known as the Devil’s Throat off the coast of Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Police revealed two women refused to wear life jackets on 29th September.

Sao Vincente police commissioner Marcos Alexandre Alfino shared the shocking reason Aline and Beatriz did not use the protective gear.

Commissioner Alfino said: “Some didn’t want to put them on because they were taking selfies.

“They said that they get in the way of their tanning.”

These revelations came a month after the tragic incident following investigators’ inquiries with the boat’s skipper.

The captain, one of five survivors, said he was ordered to take six influencers to the shore despite his boat having a maximum capacity of five passengers.

He added that the boat was too heavy to save after the wave struck.

Police are now trying to establish if their deaths were a tragic accident or preventable.

Commissioner Alfino added: “All this is being determined very calmly to conclude if the fatalities were based on recklessness or negligence.”

Vanessa Audrey da Silva, Camila Alves de Carvalho, Daniel Gonçalves Ferreira, Gabriela Santos Lima and Natan Cardoso Soares da Silva, who were also on the vessel, were rescued shortly after the accident.

Beatriz’s body was recovered at sea and Aline’s body was found on a beach by rescuers on 4 October.

Aline posted photographs with her pals on the luxury yacht onto social media, shortly before the tragedy.

Survivor Vanessa said the group of friends had met up to party on the yacht and spend the day drinking.

The friends later split into two groups and onto separate vessels to get back to shore but one, a rented speedboat, was swamped by a wave on the return journey.

Vanessa said she had managed to scramble into a life jacket and survived by clinging to rocks.

She said: “There was a moment in the water when no one could see anyone. I was fighting for life.”

Another survivor, Camila, recalled how she almost died in that terrifying moment.

She said: “There were very strong waves, we almost died. We didn’t know how to swim.

“I knew that I couldn’t take it for long. I hurt my foot and swallowed a lot of water.

“We threw ourselves into the rocks.”

The ‘Devil’s Throat’, the region where the accident occurred, is located between Porchat Island and Xixova-Japui State Park, in Sao Vicente.

It attracts surfers because of its waves, but hides several dangers due to the strong currents that hit the area.