Seventy-Year-Old Digs 40-Meter Hole Alone in Search of Gold in His Kitchen

Written by Flavia Marinho

Published on 02/01/2026 at 21:28

Um idoso de 71 anos, movido por um sonho com ouro, cavou por seis meses um buraco estreito de 40 metros dentro de casa, escorregou ao sair e morreu. Entenda o que aconteceu e por que o risco é enorme.

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An Elderly Man, 71, Driven by a Dream of Gold, Dug for Six Months a Narrow 40-Meter Hole in His Home, Slipped While Exiting, and Died. Understand What Happened and Why the Risk Is Huge.

A dream, an improbable work, and a brutal end. It sounds like a movie script, but it really happened: an elderly man over 70 years old spent months digging a well inside his own house, believing he would find gold.

The “mission” ended in the worst possible scene, a fall of approximately 40 meters and a rescue that could no longer reverse the outcome.

According to Information Passed to Firefighters, the Elderly Man Had Started a Kind of Treasure Hunt

The case occurred in Ipatinga, in the Vale do Rio Doce, on the night of Thursday (4). The victim was identified as João Pimenta da Silva, 71 years old.

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The Fall: Elderly Man Slipped While Exiting the Hole

According to the report gathered during the service, João lost his balance while exiting an improvised structure at the top of the excavation and ended up falling.

A friend who was helping him described the moment in a distressing way: “When he reached the top, the balance began to slip…”.

The firefighters made the recovery, but he was already lifeless. The described condition was one of multiple trauma, with exposed fractures in both legs, hip fracture, laceration of the abdomen and torso, and severe cranial trauma.

The forensics were summoned, arrived at the scene, and the body was released to a funeral home.

Elderly Man Digs Hole Alone: Why Is This So Dangerous

Even when there is occasional help, this type of domestic excavation resembles a high-risk environment: narrow, deep space, with the chance of falling, soil instability, and even respiratory problems.

The captain of the Fire Department himself highlighted the size of the danger and mentioned the requirements and risks of this type of activity: “A very large risk that he ran, and unfortunately, he became a victim.”

Moreover, labor safety regulations treat such locations as confined spaces, requiring control, surveillance, and a rescue plan — it is not just a matter of “going down and up” any way.

The NR-33 clearly states that there must be formal emergency control measures, including roles such as watchman and rescue activation.

Now tell me: had you ever heard a similar story? Leave a comment with your opinion — and, if you think it’s important, share this text to alert more people.

Seventy-Year-Old Digs 40-Meter Hole Alone in Search of Gold in His Kitchen

An Elderly Man, 71, Driven by a Dream of Gold, Dug for Six Months a Narrow 40-Meter Hole in His Home, Slipped While Exiting, and Died. Understand What Happened and Why the Risk Is Huge.

According to Information Passed to Firefighters, the Elderly Man Had Started a Kind of Treasure Hunt

The Fall: Elderly Man Slipped While Exiting the Hole

Elderly Man Digs Hole Alone: Why Is This So Dangerous

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Retaining walls require proper compaction of the backfill to avoid sinking ground, cracked sidewalks, displaced flooring, and pool leaks, warns an engineer while pointing out a common mistake that only appears after the construction is completed in filled houses and new renovations as well.

Seventy-Year-Old Digs 40-Meter Hole Alone in Search of Gold in His Kitchen

An Elderly Man, 71, Driven by a Dream of Gold, Dug for Six Months a Narrow 40-Meter Hole in His Home, Slipped While Exiting, and Died. Understand What Happened and Why the Risk Is Huge.

According to Information Passed to Firefighters, the Elderly Man Had Started a Kind of Treasure Hunt

The Fall: Elderly Man Slipped While Exiting the Hole

Elderly Man Digs Hole Alone: Why Is This So Dangerous

While an average building in London or New York takes three years to be completed, in China a 26-story tower went up in five days with about 100 workers, and the global modular construction market already moves US$ 95 billion per year.

Australia installs giant concrete structures on the seabed 800 meters from the shore to create an ocean intake for desalination that will draw in saltwater and produce 30 million liters of drinking water per day.

A public school student single-handedly created a machine capable of treating water for up to 50 people using only solar energy. It was awarded third place at one of the most important science fairs in the world.

Goodbye traditional washing machine: Panasonic surprises housewives with the NA-G5 featuring four drums, a 13 kg washer and dryer, a 12 kg dryer, independent mini washers, a heat pump, and a 4-in-1 system awarded at the German Design Award.

While cities spend fortunes patching potholes and tons of plastic become waste, the Netherlands transforms over 218,000 recycled cups into a modular bike path that can conceal drainage, cables, and pipes.

While communities suffer from water scarcity and the advancing desert, women in Morocco use nets high up in the mountains to trap fog droplets, fill reservoirs, and transport drinking water through more than 10 km of piping.

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Retaining walls require proper compaction of the backfill to avoid sinking ground, cracked sidewalks, displaced flooring, and pool leaks, warns an engineer while pointing out a common mistake that only appears after the construction is completed in filled houses and new renovations as well.