This is the harrowing moment an influencer and her husband were swept away in raging floods, minutes after she made a haunting final social media post.
Jeniffer Soares Martins, who had 81,000 followers on Instagram, was seen clinging to a car with her husband Wallion Lima as water rushed past her following heavy rains that hit Uberlândia, south of Brasilia, in Brazil in the early hours of November 24.
That night, 55mm of rain fell in just 30 minutes, leading to severe floods in the city of over 700,000.
Video footage taken from the city at around 1am showed the 28-year-old influencer grabbing a silver car as waist-deep water rushes around her. The woman taking the video can be heard screaming at the couple as the water rises.
Separate CCTV footage showed people inside a nearby house attempt to save the couple by pushing a tall ladder out.
But it extended just a few feet before the couple, meaning they couldn’t reach it without risking being swept away.
The tragic couple were eventually taken by the flood anyway. A third clip showed area the couple were stood in empty, with the water significantly higher than in previous footage.
Moments before the flood, Martins shared videos of her listening to music with the caption: ‘I’m going to be young again.’
Video footage taken from the city at around 1am showed the 28-year-old influencer grabbing a silver car as waist-deep water rushes around her and her husband
Jeniffer Soares Martins (pictured) had 81,000 followers on Instagram, and posted about fashion, lifestyle and makeup
She was swept away with her husband Wallion Lima (pictured, left) in the floods
She was known for posting content about fashion, lifestyle and makeup.
After Soares was swept away, her husband found her unconscious and tried to resuscitate her with the help of firefighters on the scene.
She was reportedly dragged along the flooded street for around 1,000ft.
Her body was located at around 1.25am.
The influencer died from drowning and multiple trauma.
She was the first victim of the storm in the area. Her funeral took place at Bom Pastor Cemetery in Uberlândia at 5pm on the day she tragically passed away.
One relative said: ‘She was much more than an influencer, she was a ray of light, and great fun at family and social gatherings.
‘Her emotion, joy and camaraderie were able to turn any moment into something special.’
City mayor Odelmo Leão said: ‘I stand in solidarity with the family and friends of young Jhei Soares, who unfortunately lost her life early this Sunday due to the effects of heavy rains on Avenida Rondón Pacheco.’
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
