Bridge collapses in Brazil, sulfuric acid gets into the river
Kyiv • UNN
The 533-meter-long Juscelino Cubicek de Oliveira Bridge collapsed in Brazil, killing one person. Two trucks, a car and a motorcycle fell into the Tocantins River, one of the trucks was carrying sulfuric acid.
A bridge connecting two states in Brazil's northern and northeastern regions collapsed on Sunday as cars were driving across it, killing at least one person and spilling sulfuric acid into the Tocantins River, Reuters reports, UNN writes.
Details
The National Department of Transport Infrastructure reported that the central span of the 533-meter-long bridge connecting the cities of Estreita in Maranhão state and Agiarnopolis in Tocantins state collapsed in the afternoon. According to officials, a tanker truck carrying acid fell into the water.
According to the fire service, one person was confirmed dead and another rescued.
According to preliminary estimates, at least 11 people were injured in the accident: two trucks, a car and a motorcycle fell into the river, which is more than 50 meters deep.
By early evening, rescue divers stopped their work after discovering that sulfuric acid was leaking from one flooded truck, the Tokantins Fire Department said.
Addendum
The Juscelino Cubicek de Oliveira Bridge, opened in 1960, was built of reinforced concrete and is part of the BR-226 highway that connects Brazil's federal capital to Belém, the northern city that is to host the UN Climate Change Conference next year.
