Story By Marija Stojkoska
News Editor Ajda Ender
A Dutch groom-to-be drowned in front of his fiancée and her family during a holiday trip to one of Brazil’s most famous natural attractions.
Video shows the boat after the tragedy at Iguazu Falls in which a Dutch tourist died, July 28, 2026. ***Video Licence Restrictions: NEWS MEDIA PORTALS ONLY. Usage on social media is possible but we offer no guarantees. This video is offered under our ‘social and local media source’ licence. For details see https://newsx.agency/licences/ For terms visit: https://newsx.media/terms-conditions/
The accident happened at Iguacu Falls in Foz do Iguacu, Parana state, Brazil, on 28th July during a private Macuco Safari boat excursion inside the world-famous Iguacu National Park.
The boat carrying six Dutch tourists and two crew members overturned while navigating the rapids of the Iguacu River, sending everyone on board into the water.
Dutch architect Mark Lensink, 25, died after drowning in the accident.
Mark Lensink, 25, poses in undated photo. He died on a tour in Iguacu National Park in Brazil. Note: Private photo taken from social media. (Newsflash/NX)
Mark, from Rijssen in the Netherlands, was visiting the attraction with his fiancée, her parents, her sister and her brother-in-law. The group had arrived in Foz do Iguacu on 27th July and were expected to leave the city on 30th July.
The couple were due to marry in September, according to local media.
The private excursion began at around 11am and the boat capsized shortly after the trip started, according to witnesses cited by local media.
Emergency services were alerted at around 12.20pm, triggering a rescue operation involving the Brazilian Navy, firefighters, the emergency medical service SAMU, the tour company’s teams and officials from the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio).
Footage recorded after the tragedy shows the damaged boat floating upside down with its hull exposed as rescue teams searched the area.
Mark Lensink, 25, poses in undated photo. He died on a tour in Iguacu National Park in Brazil. Note: Private photo taken from social media. (Newsflash/NX)
The video was filmed by Brazilian tourist Karen Charlotte, who said she initially believed she was recording a normal family outing and did not realise an accident had happened.
She said: “We were on the tour and had no idea that it was a real accident.”
Karen explained that she first noticed a person walking on rocks beside the river before seeing several boats rushing to rescue people from the water.
Video shows the boat after the tragedy at Iguazu Falls in which a Dutch tourist died, July 28, 2026. Note: Photo is a screenshot from a video. (Newsflash/NX)
She said: “Here I was recording our family outing and until that moment we had no idea it was an accident with a fatal victim. May God comfort that family.”
The tourist said they only understood the seriousness of what had happened when they reached the dock and saw the rescue operation unfolding.
She added: “We thought it was a woman, but it was a young man who was unconscious and receiving cardiopulmonary resuscitation.”
Mark was pulled from the water and treated by rescuers before being transported by boat to Kattamaram port and then taken by ambulance to Padre Germano Lauck Municipal Hospital in Foz do Iguacu.
Firefighters said he suffered drowning that led to cardiac arrest, and despite attempts to revive him, he was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Two members of Mark’s fiancée’s family were also taken to hospital after the accident.
Her father, 49, remained under observation in a stable condition, while her brother-in-law suffered a fractured foot and was also reported to be stable.
Three other family members were treated at the scene and released, while the Brazilian pilot and co-pilot were thrown into the water, rescued, medically assessed and later discharged.
The Civil Police of Paraná and the Scientific Police began investigating the circumstances surrounding the accident.
Authorities carried out initial forensic examinations of the scene and the boat’s hull, while investigators collected statements from survivors, witnesses and employees connected to the excursion.
The Brazilian Navy also launched an administrative investigation into the accident to determine the causes and whether any responsibilities need to be established.
Investigators are examining the conditions surrounding the incident, including the boat’s manoeuvre and the strong current in the area near the waterfalls.
The Macuco Safari company said the boat was operating legally and had passed all required inspections.
The company said: “The vessel involved had all the technical inspections and current authorisations required by the Brazilian Navy.”
It added: “It was a vessel equipped with high-powered engines and with the corresponding rescue equipment for each passenger on board.”
Macuco Safari said it was cooperating fully with authorities to determine exactly what caused the boat to lose control.
The company said initial internal information suggested a sudden change in the current destabilised the vessel during its approach, although the official investigation remained ongoing.
ICMBio suspended Macuco Safari activities for three days while the investigation continued.
The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed it was providing consular assistance to Mark’s family and coordinating support with Brazilian authorities, including arrangements for the repatriation of his body to the Netherlands.
Mark had studied at Saxion University of Applied Sciences and was the owner of construction company Lensink Bouwservice in Rijssen.
Iguacu Falls is one of the world’s most spectacular waterfall systems, with 275 separate cascades stretching across the border between Brazil and Argentina and drawing millions of visitors each year.
(Marija Stojkoska/Newsflash)
