(Reuters) – A bridge connecting two states in Brazil’s northern and northeastern areas collapsed on Sunday as automobiles have been crossing, killing no less than one particular person and spilling sulfuric acid into the Tocantins River.
The National Department of Transport Infrastructure mentioned the central span of the 533-meter (0.3-mile) bridge, linking the cities of Estreito in Maranhao state and Aguiarnopolis in Tocantins state, gave method within the afternoon. A tanker truck carrying the acid plunged into the water, officers mentioned.
According to the hearth division, one particular person has been confirmed useless and one other was rescued alive.
Aguiarnopolis metropolis councilman Elias Junior was recording a video asking authorities to repair issues with the bridge, which he mentioned might now not deal with the heavy vehicles passing over it. As he pointed to a big crack on the shoulder of the bridge, the construction collapsed in entrance of him, inflicting him to run again. Reuters couldn’t instantly independently confirm the video. Junior didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
Preliminary estimates point out no less than 11 individuals have been concerned within the accident with two vehicles, a automotive, and a motorbike falling into the river, which is greater than 50 meters (164 ft) deep.
By early night, rescue divers halted their efforts after figuring out that one submerged tanker was leaking sulfuric acid, mentioned the hearth division from Tocantins.
The Juscelino Kubitschek de Oliveira Bridge, inaugurated in 1960, was constructed with bolstered concrete and is a part of the BR-226 freeway, connecting the federal capital Brasilia to Belem, a northern metropolis set to host the United Nations Climate Change Conference subsequent 12 months.
(Reporting by Marcela Ayres and Fabricio de Castro; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
