Hintze Ribeiro disaster

At about 21:00 on the night of 4 March 2001, the Hintze Ribeiro disaster (also known as Entre-os-Rios disaster) occurred when the steel and concrete Hintze Ribeiro Bridge collapsed in Entre-os-Rios, Castelo de Paiva, Portugal, killing 59 people, including those in a bus and three cars that were crossing the Douro river.[1][2] Fast waters and a storm at the time gave no chance for an immediate rescue, and the victims drowned. The strong river current carried bodies downstream more than 30 kilometers (19 mi) to the Atlantic ocean. Bodies were found as far away as the north coast of Spain[3] and one even in France. Hours after the accident, the Minister of Transportation Jorge Coelho resigned.[3][2] The following week, dozens of bridges across Portugal were closed for immediate repair. The tragedy caused widespread shock across the nation, with all television networks broadcasting continuous news bulletins, and many solidarity campaigns being organized to help the victims' relatives.

Bridge after the collapse
Monument in memory of the victims of the Hintze Ribeiro disaster

The bridge had linked Castelo de Paiva and Entre-os-Rios. After the loss of the bridge, residents of Castelo de Paiva had to travel an additional 70 km to reach the Porto area.[4] The bridge was more than 100 years old.[4] The collapse was caused by uncontrolled sand extraction over many years, which compromised the stability of the bridge's pillars. Warnings from divers and technicians had been ignored.[5] The sand extractors were prosecuted and sued.

See also

References
  1. Martins, Christiana (4 March 2016). "Entre-os-Rios: 15 anos não é tempo suficiente" (in Portuguese). Expresso. Retrieved 4 August 2019.
  2. "Portugal bridge collapse 'kills 70'". BBC News. 5 March 2001. Retrieved 18 November 2019.
  3. Sampaio, Gustavo (21 November 2018). "Tragédias sem responsáveis: Da queda da ponte de Entre-os-Rios ao surto de "legionella" em Vila Franca de Xira" (in Portuguese). SAPO. Retrieved 4 August 2019.
  4. Bastos, Regina (PPE-DE) (18 September 2001). "(2001/C 261 E/266) Written Question P-1250/01 to the Commission". Official Journal of the European Communities. Retrieved 18 November 2019.
  5. Sousa, J. J.; Bastos, L. (18 March 2013). "Multi-temporal SAR interferometry reveals acceleration of bridge sinking before collapse". Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci. 13 (3): 659–667. doi:10.5194/nhess-13-659-2013. Retrieved 19 March 2018 – via Copernicus Online Journals.


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