doctor_slump 2008-7-30 03:13 PM
Body of ballooning Brazilian priest found at sea
The body of a Brazilian priest who floated out over the ocean suspended by hundreds of helium-filled party balloons, has been found off the coast of southeastern Brazil, police have confirmed.
The corpse of Father Adelir Antonio de Carli was spotted by a tugboat at sea near the city of Macae, three months after he disappeared while flying a contraption buoyed by balloons over the Atlantic Ocean in a fund-raising stunt.
"We were almost certain that it was the priest due to various elements, such as the clothes and material used in the balloon trip," Macae's chief of police, Daniel Bandeira, said on Monday. "The DNA only confirmed our suspicions."
The priest disappeared on April 20 after he called friends from his mobile phone to say he was about to crash into the ocean.
He staged the stunt to help raise money for a chapel for truckers in his highway parish.
[img]http://d.yimg.com/i/ng/ne/rtrs/20080730/06/389738784-roman-catholic-priest-adelir-antonio-de-carli-flies-harness-seat.jpg?x=239&y=400&q=75&sig=tk2zkinpj.GbPqKJA1XGDQ--[/img]
[color=Gray][size=2]Roman Catholic priest Adelir Antonio de Carli, 42, flies in a harness-like seat suspended from 1,000 balloons of various colors in the southern port of Paranagua April 20, 2008. De Carli, who flew around 55 miles (90km) before losing contact, had wanted to draw attention to the work of his parish in Paranagua, which targets mostly truck drivers who transport goods to and from the port.[/size][/color]
