On Sunday December 22, 2024, a tragic event occurred in Brazil, as the 533 meters long Juscelino Kubitschek de Oliveira Bridge, spanning across the Tocantins River, collapsed resulting in at least 10 casualties while many others are still missing. The bridge was connecting the northeastern Brazilian cities of Estreito and Aguiarnópolis and at the time of the collapse a vast of vehicles were crossing the bridge.
Between the vehicles, there were trucks that transferred hazardous materials, such as sulfuric acid and pesticides. More specifically, 25,000 liters of pesticides and 76 tons of sulfuric acid were spilled directly to the river. Therefore, due to the potential water contamination, authorities prohibited residents from using the river's water for drinking or bathing.
According to the authorities all the rescue teams promptly arrived at the scene. However, due to the chemicals that were spilled in the river they couldn’t act immediately. Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva who is the President of Brazil, shared his condolences to the families of the deceased and ruled out federal support to local authorities managing the emergency. The reason of the collapse is not known yet. An investigation is ongoing to determine the reasons that resulted in such a catastrophic event.
It should be noted that the bridge was built in 1960s, hence, concerns about the structural integrity of the bridge were raised before the incident as visible cracks were observed. Moreover, according to the statement of the Brazilian government, they are planning to rebuild the bridge within one year. In all, the incident pointed out the lack of the maintenance of the infrastructure in Brazil, highlighting the need for proper inspections, maintenance and repairs to avoid similar accidents in the future.
Sources: thesun.ie, edition.cnn.com
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