Samba school

Nine injured after Rio carnival float collapses

Nine people were injured in Brazil on Feb. 28 during the fourth round of samba parades when the platform of a float collapsed under the weight of dancers. 

The incident happened around 3:00 a.m. during the Unidos da Tijuca parade in Rio de Janeiro's Sambodromo, a day after a truck carrying a float ran into bystanders late Feb. 26 and injured 20.

Brazil's economy puts damper on Rio carnival

The Rio carnival is a celebration of joyful excess but deep recession in Brazil means that samba schools are thinking about their budgets as much as their dance moves.

"Here the key word is austerity," says Luiz Carlos Magalhaes, president of the Portela samba school, which has won the prestigious annual parade contest in the Sambodromo more than any other school.