At least seven people were killed and 32 others were injured after part of a cliff collapsed onto leisure boats on a Brazilian lake.

Another three are currently missing, according to authorities.

At midday local time Saturday, a large rock fragment detached itself from a ravine and plunged atop three boats on weekend trips to Furnas Lake, a tourist area in the Capitolio region.

Tourists flock to see its rock walls, caverns and waterfalls that surround the green waters of Lake Furnas, formed by the hydroelectric dam of the same name.

In dramatic videos shared on social networks you can see the exact moment when the cliff falls on the three boats, to the panic of the passengers who witness the scene from the other boats.

Another video posted on social media shows the minute before the fall, in which several people warned that "many stones are falling" and yelled at the occupants of the other boats to move away from the wall.

Very heavy rain has fallen in recent days in southeastern Brazil making the collapse more likely, according to firefighters.