Part of the suspension bridge structure was dismantled this Friday (24th), resulting in the death of a young man in the early hours of Monday (20th) in the municipality of Passo de Torres, south of Santa Catarina. The bridge borders Rio Grande do Sul.

The moment of dismantling of the bridge platforms – Photo: Disclosure/ND

According to the mayor’s office, the wooden decking of the bridge has been removed. The steel cables are not removed as they must be re-inspected.

The removal of part of the structure was carried out at the request of the fishermen. The mayor’s office said that falling wooden pallets interfered with the movement of ships, so it was removed.

There is currently another bridge in the city that gives access to the other side of the Mampituba River, in the city of Torres (RS). This one, however, is designed for vehicle traffic.

The moment of dismantling of the bridge platforms – Photo: Disclosure/ND

Reconstruction

City Hall says there is interest in building or renovating a building on the site. However, the work has yet to be determined and there is no information on either the bridge format or dates.

The municipal government notes that if the reconstruction of the bridge is actually carried out, the work should be carried out after an investigation of the accident, which is carried out by the Civil and Scientific Police.

Bridge fall accident

The incident took place in the early hours of Monday (20), around 2:50 a.m., when one of the suspension bridge’s support cables broke while the group was crossing the structure.

Pictures that capture the moment suggest that there was an agglomeration on the site. In addition, young people appear, swinging and jumping over the bridge, which is prohibited by signs. As it turned out, some of them were returning from a carnival party in Passo de Torres.

The moment of breaking the bridge between SC and RS – Video: Internet/Reproduction/ND

Young Brian Grundy, aged 20, fell off a suspension bridge and died of asphyxiation by drowning. The body of a young man was found on Thursday (23) on the outskirts of Praia Azul, in the municipality of Santa Catarina.

“The bridge must be closed”

The delegate listed a number of violations observed on the bridge that could have caused the accident, such as excessive corrosion, difference in fastening between the parties, lack of control by people and others.

“While talking to experts, we have already noticed several structural problems that indicate that the bridge should not be operated because the risk of falling, regardless of excess people or misuse, was inevitable. The bridge should have been closed,” he said.

According to him, about 60 days ago, another incident occurred at this place: a fishing boat got stuck in the bridge structure. “It must have caused some structural damage, but it was released. It makes sense that it was forbidden. It could have been much worse,” he explained.

According to the city hall of Passo de Torres, maintenance of the headboard’s support cables and replacement of the wooden boards were frequent.

The city administration also reported that three days before the incident, preventive work was carried out with the repair of cables, ties, screens and platforms.

“We have had no reports or indications that any damage has been done to the structures that could cause an accident of this nature. It can be seen that there was an overload in terms of the number of people, ”said Carlos Souza, mayor of Torres, in an interview on the day of the accident.

Firefighters estimated that more than 50 people were crossing the bridge at the time one of the cables broke, however, according to the mayor’s office, the maximum capacity was 20 people at a time.