ESTREITO, Brazil (Reuters) – Brazilian state and federal authorities were assessing water contamination risks on Tuesday after trucks carrying sulfuric acid and agricultural pesticides plunged into a river during the collapse on Sunday fatality from a bridge.
The central span of a 533-meter (583-yard) bridge that connects the towns of Estreito in Maranhão state and Aguiarnopolis in Tocantins state gave way Sunday afternoon as vehicles crossed the river Tocantins.
The Maranhao state government and the Tocantins fire department confirmed three additional deaths in separate statements Tuesday, bringing the death toll to four and more than 10 people still missing.
Rescuers halted their efforts on Sunday after finding that trucks carrying sulfuric acid had plunged into the river.
“We are waiting for specific institutions to collect and analyze the water so that we can, with 25 divers, dive to recover the victims who are in the bed of the Tocantins river,” said Colonel Magnum Coelho of the Maranhao Fire Department.
According to Brazil’s water regulator, ANA, three trucks carrying a total of 76 tonnes of sulfuric acid and around 25,000 liters of agricultural pesticides plunged into the river.
In a statement released Monday evening, the agency said it was monitoring the risk of contamination in collaboration with Maranhão’s environment secretary and said water samples would be collected from the Tocantins River.
It was not immediately clear whether the chemicals were leaking, and if so, to what extent.
“Even though we do not yet have final analysis results on the pollution, the Ministry of Environment has identified that the pH of the water is normal,” the governor of Maranhão state said on Monday, Carlos Brandao, to CNN Brasil television channel.
State and federal authorities have asked towns that could be affected by the incident to avoid collecting water from the Tocantins River.
