Fears of toxic spills after bridge collapse in Brazil

There are fears of water contamination after a bridge collapsed in northern Brazil at the weekend, sending trucks carrying thousands of liters of pesticides and sulfuric acid into the river.

Four people are known to have died and more than 10 are missing after the central span of the bridge linking the states of Tocantins and Maranhão gave way on Sunday afternoon.

It is unclear whether or how much chemicals have leaked from their containers, but diving operations in the river have been halted while the situation is assessed.

Dramatic video filmed by a local councilor who went to the bridge to draw attention to cracks in it showed the beginning of the collapse.

Councilor Elias Junior said he never expected the bridge to collapse when he was there and was “in shock”.

Eight vehicles fell into the river, including three trucks containing chemicals.

People in the cities of Estreito and Aguiarnópolis, on both sides of the river, have been told to avoid collecting water from it.

Rescue operations are carried out from boats. Four bodies have been recovered, including the driver of one of the trucks and an 11-year-old girl, firefighters said. A man was rescued alive from the water on Sunday.

The Juscelino Kubitschek de Oliveira Bridge, more than half a kilometer long, was built in the 1960s and is the main link between the two states across the Tocantins River.