Brazil Carnival Float Accident: 4 Killed When Parade Carriage Catches Fire [Video]

Authorities say four people were killed Tuesday when a carnival float caught fire during a parade in the Brazilian city of Santos.

According to fire department officials, the float — designed as a tribute to football legend Pele, who played for the club from the late 1950s to early 1970s — burst into flames after it struck a power line following its participation in ongoing Carnival festivities.

The blaze killed three victims who were pushing the float and a fourth woman who was watching the parade from the street.

Five others were injured in the fire, but their condition was not immediately known.

“This is a tragedy for our city,” said the Mayor of Santos, Paulo Alexandre Barbosa. “We cannot continue the parade in the current mood. This is a moment of extreme sadness.”

BBC reports that a group of children were also on top of the float during the parade but had left it just before the fire started and were not injured.

Tuesday’s tragic carnival float accident comes on the heels of a deadly nightclub fire that killed 239 people in the southern part of the country in January.

Reports show that the nightclub blaze may have been caused by outdoor flares used by the band inside the club.

In response to the series of recent accidents, many critics are questioning the enforcement of safety and fire codes in the country of Brazil.

The criticism comes as Brazil, Latin America’s biggest country, prepares to welcome hundreds of thousands of visitors for the World Cup of soccer in 2014 and the Olympics in 2016.

A video of the tragic Brazil carnival float fire can be seen below:

Image: Shutterstock