According to the Navy, the victim was located by residents six kilometers from the accident site, which took place between the cities of Aguiarnópolis (TO) and Estreito (MA)
The (MB) reported on Thursday night (26), that another victim of the fall of the Juscelino Kubitschek de Oliveira, which collapsed last Sunday, 22, was found in the . In total, nine people have already been located and eight are still missing. The victim is a 48-year-old woman, whose identity has not been revealed. According to the Navy, it was located by residents six kilometers from the accident site, which took place between the cities of Aguiarnópolis (TO) and Estreito (MA).
Also according to the Navy, the Task Force of divers located two motorcycles, a pickup truck, and a truck with a load of agricultural pesticides preserved. In the search area, water quality tests are carried out by military personnel specialized in Nuclear, Biological, Chemical and Radiological Defense (NBQR) and, to date, no changes caused by chemical agents have been found.
Early Thursday afternoon, two other missing people were located. Both, however, have not yet been removed from the water and remain beneath the rubble, which is 35 meters deep. “It was not possible to extract the bodies and from now on, the operators are devising strategies to carry out new dives to remove them from the site”, informed the Tocantins Military Police.
The Task Force is coordinated by MB, which has the support of the Fire Department of the States of Maranhão, Tocantins and Pará. Until the last update, 79 Navy personnel were working at the site, with 44 divers in total – 18 from Navy, 10 from Maranhão, 10 from Tocantins and six from Pará.
Difficulties in locating bodies
Locating the bodies has been a challenge for divers. Largely due to the characteristics of the river, such as turbid water and current, in addition to the presence of debris from the collapsed structure itself and toxic materials that were being transported by trucks that fell into the water.
The possible presence of toxic materials in the river, such as sulfuric acid, which is corrosive, highly dangerous to human health and harmful to diving materials (such as cylinders), makes the Navy analyze the water quality every morning before starting the search. All dives were authorized after tests identified that there was no risk to the agents.
Other difficulties faced by divers are: the depth level of the Tocantins River, which reaches 48 meters; the low visibility of the water, which is very turbid; in addition to the presence of debris, concrete and rebar in the river, which can move, become entangled and cause injuries to the diving team.
Reinforcements
Because of this, search work has been gaining reinforcements in terms of contingents and machinery. This Thursday, for example, the Brazilian Air Force (FAB) transported a Navy hyperbaric chamber to Imperatriz airport, in Maranhão, which will allow diving to depths greater than 30 meters.
The Federal Police (PF), which is also involved in the operations, uses two underwater drones to help locate victims and submerged trucks. The work is carried out by the Federal Police’s Maritime Police Unit, which will carry out a sweep of the Tocantins River. An underwater drone from Transpetro is also being used.
The list also includes a “sidescan” sonar, an instrument that helps identify the position of submerged vehicles. The tool helps ensure that divers act more accurately and optimally within the daily time they have available.
And there is also the expectation that the team will have a hyperbaric doctor, two hyperbaric nurses and an operator from the company Geosaker, specialized in underwater inspections who is voluntarily assisting in the searches, which should also arrive in the next few days.
Accident
Last Sunday, the 22nd, the Juscelino Kubitschek de Oliveira bridge, measuring 533 meters and over 60 years old, had part of its structure collapse. The structure is part of an important road axis for the North region, as it is a crossing point for the BR-226 (Belém-Brasília) and BR-230 (Transamazônica) highways.
In total, 10 vehicles, including cars, trucks and motorcycles, were affected by the accident. Two trucks carrying sulfuric acid and one, carrying agricultural pesticides, fell into the Tocantins River.
Published by Luisa Cardoso
*With information from Estadão Conteúdo
