ESTREITO, Brazil (Reuters) – Brazilian state and federal authorities had been assessing on Tuesday the dangers of water contamination after vans carrying sulfuric acid and agricultural pesticides plunged right into a river on Sunday in a lethal bridge collapse.
The central span of a 533-meter (583-yard) bridge that hyperlinks the cities of Estreito in Maranhao state and Aguiarnopolis in Tocantins state gave means as automobiles had been crossing above the Tocantins River on Sunday afternoon.
The Maranhao state authorities and the Tocantins hearth division confirmed three extra deaths in separate statements on Tuesday, elevating the dying toll to 4, and with greater than 10 folks nonetheless lacking.
Rescue divers had halted their efforts on Sunday after discovering that vans transporting sulfuric acid had plunged into the river.
“We’re ready for particular establishments to gather and analyze the water in order that we, together with 25 divers, can dive to retrieve the victims which can be on the mattress of the Tocantins River,” Maranhao hearth brigade Colonel Magnum Coelho mentioned.
Based on Brazilian water regulator ANA, three vans carrying a complete of 76 metric tons of sulfuric acid and about 25,000 liters of agricultural pesticides plunged into the river.
In a press release on Monday night, the company mentioned it was monitoring the danger of contamination along with Maranhao’s environmental secretary, and mentioned that water samples can be collected from the Tocantins River.
It was not instantly clear if the chemical substances had been leaking, and if that’s the case by how a lot.
“Despite the fact that we nonetheless do not have last evaluation outcomes on air pollution, the Surroundings Ministry recognized that the water pH was regular,” Maranhao state Governor Carlos Brandao advised TV channel CNN Brasil on Monday.
State and federal authorities have advised cities that may very well be affected by the incident to keep away from accumulating water from the Tocantins River.
