Overpass Section Collapses and Kills two People in Coelho Neto, North of Rio

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Two people died after an overpass section collapsed last Thursday evening, August 8th, in Coelho Neto, a North Rio neighborhood. The Fire Department confirmed the information.

The accident happened on Cajurana Street, close to 2,055 Avenida Brasil, after Passarela (Overpass) 28. In addition to the fire brigade, the State Police and the Traffic Engineering Company of Rio de Janeiro (CET-Rio) are also on site. Personnel from the Irajá Fire Brigade Headquarters were called around 7:05 PM.

One of the victims is truck driver Adeir dos Anjos Peixoto, 62, who was to have picked up the container in Barra da Tijuca, in Rio’s West Zone, and would be carrying the cargo to Bangu. The second victim’s identity has not yet been disclosed.

According to the Transbrasil consortium, in charge of construction work on the site, a truck carrying a container crashed into the structure of an overpass being erected in the lower area of Avenida Transbrasil, in the area of Coelho Neto. The impact may have brought about the collapse of the structure on the vehicle.

The consortium reported that it had dispatched experts to the site to assist the rescue teams.

According to the Municipal Secretary of Infrastructure and Housing, the truck’s height was more than the height allowed on the road.