Body of ballooning priest found

DNA tests have confirmed that a body found off the coast of Brazil is that of a priest who disappeared while flying over the Atlantic buoyed by hundreds of brightly coloured party balloons, authorities said.

The Reverend Adelir Antonio de Carli set off from the Brazilian port city of Paranagua on April 20 strapped to 1,000 helium-filled balloons in an attempt to raise money to build a service station and worship centre for lorry drivers.

However, the 41-year-old Roman Catholic priest soon lost contact with his ground team, and the cluster of yellow, orange, pink and white balloons was found in the water a day later.

Tugboat workers discovered a body off Rio de Janeiro earlier this month that authorities believed belonged to the cleric.

Medical examiner worker Rosane Alves said that tests comparing DNA samples from Mr de Carli’s brother to the body confirmed their suspicions.

The brother, Moacir de Carli, said the news came as a relief.

“Now we can have a respectable burial service,” he told the Agencia Estado news service.

For several days after the priest’s disappearance, rescue crews in boats, planes and helicopters scoured a vast stretch of ocean and densely forested mountains.