CNN
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Brazilian authorities are investigating after a bridge collapsed on Sunday, killing at least four people and plowing a truck loaded with sulfuric acid and pesticides into a river, raising concerns about water pollution.
More than a dozen people are missing after the 533-meter-long Juscelino Kubitschek de Oliveira Bridge, which connects the northeastern cities of Estraito and Aguarnopolis, collapsed. Four trucks, three cars and three motorcycles fell into the Tocantins River, state news agency Agencia Brasil said.
Three women and one man were killed in the collapse, Agencia Brasil newspaper reported, citing the Maranhão fire department.
According to the National Water and Sanitation Agency, the truck was carrying around 25,000 liters of pesticides and 76 tons of sulfuric acid, raising concerns about environmental damage. Authorities warned residents not to drink or bathe in the river.
CNN Brasil reported that the search for the missing person had been suspended due to sulfuric acid in the river.
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva expressed his condolences to the families of the victims in a social media post on Monday and said the government would support local authorities in dealing with the emergency.
Brazil’s Transport and Infrastructure Agency has launched an investigation into the cause of the collapse, the government said in a statement.
The government said the navy will also deploy equipment and boats to continue searching for the 13 missing people.
The government also announced it will hire a new company to design and build the new bridge, which will be completed in about a year.
