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ESRETO, Brazil (Reuters) – Brazilian state and federal officials were assessing water pollution concerns after a deadly bridge collapse on Sunday sent trucks carrying sulfuric acid and agricultural pesticides into a river.
A 533-meter (583-yard) bridge connecting the towns of Estreto in Maranhão state and Agiarnopolis in Tocantins province gave way as vehicles crossed over the Tocantins River on Sunday afternoon.
The Maranhão state government and the Tocantins fire department confirmed in separate statements on Tuesday that three more people had died, raising the death toll to four and more than 10 people still missing.
Rescue divers called off their efforts on Sunday after discovering that trucks carrying sulfuric acid had entered the river.
“Together with 25 divers, we are waiting for some institutions to collect and analyze the water so that we can retrieve the victims on the bed of the Tocantin River,” said Colonel Magnum Coelho of the Maranhão Fire Department.
Brazil’s water regulator ANA said three trucks carrying a total of 76 metric tons of sulfuric acid and nearly 25,000 liters of agricultural pesticides entered the river.
In a statement Monday evening, the agency said it is monitoring the pollution threat with the Maranhão Environment Secretary and said water samples will be collected from the Tocantins River.
It was not immediately known if the chemicals were leaking or how much.
The governor of Maranhão state, Carlos Brandão, told the television station CNN Brasil on Monday: “Although we still do not have the final analysis results on environmental pollution, the Ministry of Environment has determined that the pH of the water is normal.
State and federal officials have told towns that could be affected by the disaster not to collect water from the Tocantins River.
