The Brazilian Navy reported that the task force to rescue victims of the accident on the Juscelino Kubitschek bridge, which connects the states of Tocantins and Maranhão, may be closed this Tuesday (7).
Until now, . Thus, three people have not yet been located.
According to the Navy, this Tuesday a new sweep will be carried out with divers to complete a “technical cycle that eliminates any gaps in the areas already explored”.
However, from Wednesday (8), it will be necessary to open the dam gates at the Estreito Hydroelectric Plant, due to the increase in the reservoir level and the rainfall in the region.
“This measure is essential to guarantee the safety of the plant and the communities that live around it,” explained the Navy in a statement.
As a result, if the searches carried out by the end of the 7th do not present new evidence that makes it possible to locate the missing, the operations will be suspended and may be resumed if new concrete information emerges that helps in locating the victims.
Since Sunday (5), teams have carried out sweeps of the Tocantins River bed, covering the area under the bridge and its surroundings.
The operations included vessels, underwater and aerial drones, in addition to the work of a team of 64 specialized divers, made up of military personnel from the Brazilian Navy and Fire Departments from several states.
“Since the beginning of operations, the Task Force has focused efforts on areas most likely to locate victims, especially in the vicinity of vehicles and debris,” states the Navy.
Bridge collapse
The Juscelino Kubitschek de Oliveira bridge, which connects the city of Aguiarnópolis, in Tocantins, and the city of Estreito, in Maranhão, .
Three trucks carrying 22,000 liters of pesticides and 76 tons of sulfuric acid, a corrosive chemical, also fell into the river.
The removal of containers of chemical compounds from the Tocantins River will only begin after the search for missing people has ended. A special operation coordinated by a specialized company will work on removing chemicals from the water.
