There are fears of water contamination after a bridge collapsed in northern Brazil over the weekend, sending trucks carrying thousands of liters of pesticides and sulfuric acid into the river below.
Four people are known to have died and more than 10 are missing after the central part of the bridge connecting the states of Tocantins and Maranyao gave way on Sunday afternoon.
It is not clear if and how much chemicals have leaked from their containers, but diving operations in the river have been suspended while the situation is assessed.
Dramatic video taken by a local councilor who went to the bridge to draw attention to the cracks on it showed the start of the collapse.
Councilor Elias Jr said he never expected the bridge to actually collapse when he was there and was “in shock”.
Eight vehicles were submerged in the river, including the three chemical trucks.
People in the towns of Estreito and Agiarnopolis, on both sides of the river, have been told to avoid collecting water from it.
Rescue operations are carried out by boats. Four bodies were recovered, including a female driver of one of the trucks and an 11-year-old girl, the fire department said. A man was rescued alive from the water on Sunday.
The Juscelinu Kubicek de Oliveira Bridge – which is more than half a kilometer (1,600 feet) long – was built in the 1960s and is the main link between the two states across the Tocantins River.