Man Dies After Plunging Into 130-Foot Hole Inside His Home

In a heartbreaking turn of events, 71-year-old Joao Pimenta da Silva met his demise while chasing a dream of discovering hidden treasures beneath his kitchen floor. The Brazilian resident lost his life after falling down a 130 feet deep hole he had meticulously dug in pursuit of gold.

Reports reveal that Joao had become fixated on the notion that a significant stash of gold lay buried beneath his property in the municipality of Ipatinga, located in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. Over more than a year, he dedicated himself to excavating the deep shaft, even hiring multiple individuals to assist in the process.

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Arnaldo da Silva, a neighbour, disclosed the extent of Joao’s obsession. He stated, “Joao had spent more than a year digging the hole and hired many people to do the excavating work. He began by paying 70 Brazilian Reais £11.30) a day when the hole was still shallow but the deeper he went the more the costs went up. He ended up paying around 495 Brazilian Reais (£80) to anyone who entered the hole and helped to remove earth. He had hit a large stone that appeared which was difficult to remove and there were rumours he had been talking about trying to get hold of dynamite.”

Alarming as it may sound, Joao claimed to have received guidance from a spirit in a dream, affirming the presence of gold beneath the rock beneath his kitchen. Despite warnings from concerned neighbors about the dangers of his quest, Joao pressed on, ultimately meeting a tragic end on January 5.

Firefighters responded to a distress call around 1:30 pm on that fateful day, discovering Joao’s lifeless body at the bottom of the hole. The excavation, roughly 35 inches in diameter and equivalent to about 12 floors deep, proved to be a perilous undertaking. It is believed that Joao slipped and fell from a wooden platform near the top of the hole as he attempted to exit after working to remove water and mud. Tragically, his companion was unable to prevent the fatal accident.

Joao’s body, displaying severe head injuries, broken legs, and additional fractures, was recovered by emergency services. The extraordinary photos of the gaping hole serve as a somber reminder of the high cost of one man’s relentless pursuit of a dream that ultimately ended in tragedy.