Soccer in mourning: Tassio Maia dos Santos dies after being crushed by a wall

In the past few hours, a violent storm has struck Rio de Janeiro with wind gusts exceeding 100 km/h. The storm claimed five lives, including former soccer player Tássio Maia dos Santos.

Here is the statement from Botafogo, the club where the Brazilian played in 2015: “It is with immense sorrow that Botafogo mourns the passing of former player Tássio Maia dos Santos, who wore our jersey in 2015, at the age of 41. Tássio was killed when a wall collapsed during the severe storm that struck Rio de Janeiro last Wednesday.”

“At this time of grief, the club extends its condolences to his family, friends, and everyone who knew Tássio. May he rest in peace,” reads the post published by the club on Facebook.

The Rio de Janeiro City Hall operations center explained that the weather phenomenon was caused by the approach of an oceanic cold front. The gusts struck the area on a day marked by high temperatures and clear skies, taking many people by surprise.

Several videos circulated on social media showing moments of chaos on the city’s most famous beaches. At Ipanema and Copacabana, numerous beachgoers quickly left the shore as the wind whipped up large amounts of sand and swept away beach umbrellas and chairs.