At least one person died after an interlinking bridge collapsed in Brazil on Sunday, December 23. The incident occurred on the BR-226 highway between Estreito, Maranhão, and Aguiarnópolis, Tocantins. A truck carrying sulfuric acid plunged into the river when a section of the bridge caved in.
According to international media reports, the 533-meter Juscelino Kubitschek de Oliveira Bridge was constructed to connect the two states. At the time of the incident, Aguiarnópolis councilor Elias Junior was recording a video to highlight visible cracks on the bridge. Moments later, the entire structure collapsed into the river.
Brazil Bridge Collapse Video
A video of the incident has surfaced on the internet. In the viral footage, a man wearing a red T-shirt is seen filming the cracks on the bridge with his mobile phone. While speaking in a foreign language, he points out the damage. Seconds later, he is seen running back in panic as the central section of the bridge collapses.
The collapse caused a tanker carrying sulfuric acid to fall into the Tocantins River, according to the National Department of Transport Infrastructure. Reports confirm one death and another person rescued. Initial investigations suggest that two trucks, a car, and a motorcycle also fell into the river at the time of the collapse.
Search operations by divers were suspended on Sunday evening after the Tocantins Fire Department reported that the submerged tanker was leaking sulfuric acid.