On Saturday, September 19, 1981, it was making its weekly trip between Santarém and Manaus when it sank in Óbidos harbour.
Of 500 people estimated to have been aboard, at least 178 had survived as reported by the Captain, Elio Palhares, that day.
[1] In 2014, British angler Jeremy Wade went to Óbidos to investigate the role that local fish species may have played in the loss of life during this disaster; his findings were documented in the River Monsters episode entitled "Amazon Apocalypse.
"[2] After investigating numerous possibilities, including botos (river dolphins), caimans, and piranha, Wade concluded that the culprits were likely hordes of piraiba and redtail coda rossa catfish, drawn by chum from nearby fish processing operations, probably joined by the multiple species of piranha and other small carnivorous fish.
He hypothesized that the large redtails and piraiba pulled the struggling victims underwater, where they drowned.