What began as a routine trip for a medical appointment turned into a devastating tragedy for a family from Várzea Alegre, a small town in northeastern Brazil. The heartbreaking accident has left the entire Cariri region of Ceará in mourning.

Early Sunday morning, July 16, a young family—three-year-old Miguel Nascimento Gomes, his father Sebastião Cícero Gomes, and his mother Hérida Nascimento da Silva—was traveling to Juazeiro do Norte so Miguel could receive medical care. The drive usually takes just over an hour and was likely familiar to them. But around 7 a.m., their car veered off CE-060, a major local highway, and plunged into a nearby river near the area known as Sítio Piripiri.

Emergency responders from the Ceará State Fire Department arrived to find the vehicle submerged in roughly 16 feet of water. Sadly, all three family members were found deceased inside the car. Authorities are still investigating what caused the accident, considering factors such as road conditions or possible mechanical failure.

The tragedy has sparked renewed concern over traffic safety in the region. CE-060 is a critical route for residents traveling to hospitals and larger towns. In the wake of the accident, local leaders and community members are urging improvements to the highway’s infrastructure, including better signage and road maintenance, to help prevent future tragedies.