The body of a woman was recovered 6 kilometers from Juscelino Kubitschek de Oliveira Bridgelocated on the Tocantins Riverafter the collapse of a section of the structure last Sunday. In addition, another was located on Thursday night six kilometers from the accident site, the Navy reported. With this finding, the death toll rises to tenwhile seven people are still missingreported the Brazil Marina this Friday.
The construction, 533 meters long and built in the 1960s, connects the cities of Narrow y Aguiarnópolison the border between the states of Maranhão y Tocantinsin the north of the country, about 1,300 kilometers from Brasiliathe capital.
According to local police, the collapse occurred while several vehicles were crossing the structure, causing at least four trucks, two cars and two motorcycles to fall into the river.
Among the trucks involved, three were transporting dangerous chemicalsspecifically a total of “22,000 liters of agricultural pesticides and 76 tons of sulfuric acid,” reported the National Water Agency of Brazil.
This forced the authorities to temporarily suspend rescue efforts for fear of a possible spill of the substances to the Tocantins River.
After carrying out safety studies, it was concluded that the waters did not represent a danger and the resumption of work was authorized. The Ministry confirmed that, although a sulfuric acid leak was detected after the collapse, it was considered insignificant and did not compromise search operations.
He Tocantins Military Fire Department indicated that as of Tuesday the bodies of four had been recovered victimsamong them that of the driver of one of the trucks that carried acid and that of a eleven year old girl. This Wednesday, after a two-day pause, rescue teams resumed operations in the river, whose waters reach depths of more than 50 meters.
At the same time, the authorities have initiated a investigation to determine the causes of the collapse and they evaluate the general condition of the bridge, which had been in operation for more than six decades. A video posted on social media before the incident shows a local resident reporting visible cracks in the structure and warning about the risk they represented.
The tragedy has highlighted concern about the state of other similar infrastructures in the region, mobilizing various rescue and assistance bodies in the midst of efforts to locate the missing people.
(With information from AP)
