Father Adelir Antonio de Carli began his bid for glory on Sunday in the southern port of Paranagua. He was suspended from a harness-type seat beneath more than 1,000 giant party balloons of various colours. His plan was to fly due west for 20 hours.

Unfortunately for the 42-year-old Father de Carli, unexpected winds carried him out over the Atlantic Ocean on a south-easterly course. Denise Gallas, coordinator of the parish where de Carli worked, confirmed that the floating Father had last made contact on Sunday evening when he used his cell phone to give his coordinates. He flew around 55 miles and reached a height of 5,000 metres before losing contact with his base.

De Carli’s epic record attempt was his way of drawing attention to the work of his parish. He had hoped to raise money to fund a spiritual rest area for the many truck drivers who transport goods to and from the Parangua port. During a test flight in January, dangerous winds blew him off course and across the border to Argentina.

The search continues

Although rescue workers are yet to find Father de Carli, they confirmed that pieces of balloons have been found all the way along the Brazilian coast. The search has been extended further south with boats and planes joining the hunt.

But although things currently look bleak, there’s still a chance de Carli will be found alive. His flying contraption had plenty of room to store water, cereal bars and energy capsules and its seat was lined with air tight pockets that can be inflated in an emergency. Searchers hope that de Carli could have landed in the sea and floated to one of the many islands in the region.