There are fears of water contamination after a bridge collapsed in northern Brazil at the weekend, sending trucks carrying thousands of liters of pesticides and sulfuric acid into the river below.
It is known that four people died, and more than 10 are missing, after the central section of the bridge linking the states of Tocantins and Maranhão collapsed on Sunday afternoon.
It is not clear whether the chemicals had leaked from their containers or how much, but diving operations in the river were halted until the situation was assessed.
A dramatic video clip, filmed by a local council member who went to the bridge to draw attention to the cracks in it, showed the beginning of the collapse.
Councilor Elias Junior said he never expected the bridge to actually collapse when he was there and was “in shock”.
Eight vehicles fell into the river, including the three trucks containing chemicals.
People in the cities of Estreto and Aguiarnopolis, on both sides of the river, were asked to avoid collecting water from it.
Rescue operations are being carried out from boats. The fire service said that four bodies were recovered, including a female truck driver and an 11-year-old girl. A man was rescued alive from the water on Sunday.
The Juscelino Kubitschek de Oliveira Bridge, more than half a kilometer (1,600 feet) long, was built in the 1960s and is the main link between the two states across the Tocantins River.
