In a tragic mishap, a ferryboat crashed into a bridge in Pará, Brazil which led to collapse of a 657 foot segment of the bridge in Moju River.
According to witnesses, two cars fell in the river water after the ferryboat collided with a pillar of the bridge.
Information regarding the number of people getting hurt is still unknown. A search operation is being carried out by scuba divers in the river. It is being said that 5 crew on the ferryboat have survived the crash.
Helder Barbalho, Pará governor, who signed a state of emergency post the incident, told the media that looking for the victims and providing their families complete support is an utmost priority. He also uploaded a video clip of the bridge which had collapsed via his Twitter handle.
The authorities are currently removing the debris of the collapsed bridge, lying in one of the country’s busiest ports Belém. Besides, they have also placed warning signs on the pillars of bridges present nearby.
Notably, as per a report by the local media, an inspection conducted on the bridge previously this year showed corrosion on its pillars. Though the government made a request for emergency funds in order to get the issue fixed, it didn’t reportedly consider the problem to be critical enough to close down the route.
