The Juscelino Kubitschek de Oliveira bridge, over the Tocantins River, collapsed on Sunday afternoon (22). The bridge connects the states of Tocantins and Maranhão. The governor of Maranhão, Carlos Brandão, confirmed one death, one person rescued and two missing.
The bridge on BR-226 connects the municipalities of Estreito (MA) and Aguiarnópolis (TO). “We are sorry for the victims of the collapse of the bridge that connects Maranhão to Tocantins. So far we have one confirmed death, one rescued victim, hospitalized in Estreito, and two missing victims. Only with the results of the diving operations will we be able to prove the total number of missing people,” he wrote in a post on social media.
“Our Maranhão government teams continue to offer all the necessary support to federal government technicians, to guarantee assistance and overcome the inconvenience caused by the interruption of the road”, added Brandão.
According to the Federal Highway Police (PRF), the collapse occurred around 2:50 p.m. The Maranhão and Tocantins Fire Departments are searching the river for missing people.
The governor of Tocantins, Wanderlei Barbosa, also confirmed that there are victims, that vehicles and motorcycles have fallen and that the depth at the site is over 50 meters. “We come together to support the rescue of victims”, he said, also on social media.
The central span of the 533 meter long structure gave way and the National Department of Transport Infrastructure (Dnit) warned of a total closure at the site. “Teams from the municipality are traveling to the location to assess the situation, investigate the possible causes and take the necessary measures”, he informed.
Alternative routes
The agency announced alternative routes. Tocantins users must access the road that goes from Darcinópolis to Luzinópolis, reach BR-230 and continue until km 101 (city of São Bento). Then take the right, towards Axixá and Imperatriz (MA).
Those going from Maranhão must access the BR-226 in Estreito until Porto Franco. From Porto Franco, users must follow the BR-010 to Imperatriz.
