Brasília (Brussels Morning Newspaper): On December 22, 2024, the Juscelino Kubitschek de Oliveira Bridge in Brazil collapsed, killing 10 people and leaving 7 missing. The bridge connected Maranhão and Tocantins and fell suddenly while vehicles were on it. Rescue teams are still searching for the missing.
The Juscelino Kubitschek de Oliveira Bridge, which connects Maranhão and Tocantins in Brazil, was destroyed six days ago under unclear circumstances. The 500-meter-long bridge, built in the 1960s, suddenly collapsed into the Tocantins River below, inflicting huge damage and death on vehicles still on the bridge at the time of the mishap. This incident cut off an important route and raised serious concerns about the safety of Brazil’s aging infrastructure. The authorities are still investigating to determine what went wrong.
How did the Juscelino Kubitschek bridge collapse lead to 10 deaths and environmental risks?
The rescue teams have been working hard to bring back as many people from under the bridge, which was a tough job to handle. Yesterday, the body of another person was discovered in the Tocantins River, which put ten people on the death list and seven missing. The Brazilian Navy has confirmed that there are ten dead and seven still missing. This has left many families in tears and communities in grief as officials continue to look for the missing and seek answers to how this occurred.
The situation reportedly worsened when three trucks carrying dangerous materials were on the bridge when it fell. These trucks contained pesticides and sulfuric acid, which could have damaged the Tocantins River and the surrounding areas. The fire department said that the tanks did not suffer damage, so the risk of pollution decreased. However, this has raised questions regarding the safety of the bridge and other related structures.
