Revellers of the Portela samba school perform on the second night
of Rio's Carnival at the Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, early on
February 28, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / Vanderlei ALMEIDA
Revellers of the Portela samba school perform on the second night
of Rio's Carnival at the Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, early on
February 28, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / Vanderlei ALMEIDA
Revellers of Unidos do Jacarezinho samba school (Serie B, the third
division) on Intendente Magalhaes street in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on
February 28, 2017.
Only Special and Serie A groups of Samba schools are allowed to perform
at Sambadrome and the rest of groups (Serie B to E) use the Intendente
Magalhaes street which is opened to public for free. / AFP PHOTO /
Yasuyoshi Chiba
Revellers of Unidos do Cabucu samba school (Serie B, the third
division) on Intendente Magalhaes street in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on
February 28, 2017.
Only Special and Serie A groups of Samba schools are allowed to perform
at Sambadrome and the rest of groups (Serie B to E) use the Intendente
Magalhaes street which is opened to public for free. / AFP PHOTO /
Yasuyoshi Chiba
Rio de Janeiro’s carnival crowned a champion of its elite samba
school parade on Wednesday, capping festivities marred by two accidents
that injured more than 30 people.
By winning the carnival’s headline event, the Portela samba school
ended a 33-year losing streak, nabbing the crown for the 22nd time.
Although it is the most successful school in carnival history, it has
not won since 1984, the year the Sambodromo — the elongated stadium
that hosts the championship parade — was inaugurated.
The school, which was founded in 1923, represents the Madureira
neighborhood in Rio’s north, considered to be the cradle of samba. Its
entry was based on the theme of rivers and man’s relationship to water.
The sparkling costumes, near-naked dancers and pulsating beats
provided Brazilians with an escape from the worst recession in a century
and a particularly ugly year in the country’s corruption-stained
politics.
But the revelry was marred by mayhem on Tuesday when a float became
involved in a freak accident for the second time in two nights.
Twelve people were injured when the top level of an elaborate
three-story float collapsed under the weight of the brightly costumed
dancers atop it, crashing onto the crowded platform below.
Another float swerved into a crowd and injured 20 people late Sunday, during the championship’s opening night.
City transport officials have vowed to step up safety checks next year.
