The tenth victim’s body from the collapse of the Juscelino Kubitschek bridge was located this Sunday (29) by teams from the Brazilian Navy and the Fire Department
The Brazilian Navy and the Fire Department resumed diving searches this Sunday (29), and located the tenth body of the victim of the fall from the Juscelino Kubitschek bridge last Sunday (22). The diving search work was temporarily interrupted on Friday (27), because there was a risk of a new collapse of the bridge’s structures.
According to a statement released to the press by the Navy, another body, which was located last Thursday, the 26th, but had not yet been rescued due to the complexity of the position it was in and the interruption of diving work in the river, was removed this Sunday . The tenth body, recently discovered inside the cabin of a sunken truck, has yet to be removed. Seven people remain missing.
“At the search location, the Navy has 87 soldiers, in addition to the 20 soldiers who participate remotely, in Belém-PA, in the planning and logistics of the operation. The Military Fire Departments of Pará, Tocantins and Maranhão continue to support the operation”, says the institution.
Understand the case
The bridge, which has a span of 533 meters and was built more than 60 years ago over the Tocantins River to connect the river, collapsed on December 22nd. To date, ten deaths have been confirmed, including adults and children, and seven people remain missing.
According to the Tocantins Military Police, at least four trucks, three cars and three motorcycles that were on the structure fell into the river. Two trucks carried sulfuric acid and one of them, agricultural defenders.
A councilor from the city of Aguiarnópolis (TO) filmed the moment of the fall. In an interview with Estadão, he said he passed by it frequently and noticed the danger. “It was something that was visible even to a child. Holes with exposed hardware, cracks, unevenness in the joints. And the bridge swayed when we drove by. Imagine the cargo trucks”, he said.
The Dnit informed in a statement that the causes of the bridge collapse will be investigated and that the reconstruction of the bridge will be carried out as quickly as possible. The Federal Police also opened an investigation to investigate responsibilities.
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.
At this time, with the passage closed, drivers traveling through the region must take alternative routes, such as the road that goes from Darcinópolis to São Bento, in Tocantins. From there it is possible to reach Imperatriz, in Maranhão. Drivers traveling from Maranhão must access the BR-266 in Estreito, until Porto Franco, heading towards Imperatriz.
*With information from Estadão Conteúdo
Posted by Carolina Ferreira
