A lawyer has released harrowing dashcam footage from inside a truck cab showing the moment a massive bridge collapses into a river, leaving 14 dead and three others missing after reportedly being swept away by the current.
The footage of the collapse of the Juscelino Kubitschek bridge was made public for the first time by a lawyer for victims as part of a demand for compensation for the families of those killed who have still not received a penny after the tragedy at 2:50pm on 22nd December, 2024.
The footage was released by lawyer Melissa Fachinello, who represents haulage company Expresso Geracao, whose truck plunged into the river during the collapse between Aguiarnopolis, Tocantins state, and Estreito, Maranhao state, Brazil.
The video shows the road vanishing beneath the truck’s wheels within seconds as the structure gives way.
Fachinello said releasing the footage reflected frustration over the lack of compensation for victims’ families and fishermen affected by the disaster. The driver’s body and the vehicle were later recovered from the river.
Of the 18 people caught in the collapse, only one survived.
The disaster was also inadvertently captured by local councillor Elias Junior, of Aguiarnopolis, who had been filming the bridge’s deteriorating condition when it gave way. His footage showed a crack forming in the roadway moments before the structure plunged into the Tocantins River.
Among those killed were a 25-year-old woman and a 46-year-old man, both on motorcycles, and the driver of the Expresso Geracao truck, while a 36-year-old man was the only one of the 18 believed to have fallen who was rescued and taken to hospital.
Authorities said in total three motorcycles, one car, two pickup trucks and four lorries fell into the river, including vehicles carrying 76 tonnes of sulphuric acid and 22,000 litres of agricultural pesticides.
The bridge, built in the 1960s, had deteriorated due to heavy cargo traffic and a lack of maintenance, according to the councillor.
Fachinello said Brazil’s National Department of Transport Infrastructure (DNIT) had yet to begin compensation payments to affected fishermen.
The DNIT said compensation claims are currently being handled through the courts, with multiple actions filed by private individuals, public bodies including the Public Prosecutor’s Office, and civil organisations, and that no general timeframe for payment could be given.
The remains of the original structure were demolished in a controlled explosion in February 2026. A replacement bridge opened in December 2025, one year after the collapse.
To find out more about the author, editor or agency that supplied this story – please click below. Story By: Aloysius Fernandes, Sub-Editor: Marija Stojkoska, Agency: Newsflash
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