[2] In 2020, the National Department of Transport Infrastructure [pt] (DNIT), a federal government agency, had already reported several problems, such as cracks and inclinations in the pillars.

[3] A video, filmed by a local councillor who went to the bridge to record the extant structural issues, captured the beginning of the collapse.

In addition to the fatalities, a truck transporting about 76 tonnes (84 short tons) of sulfuric acid and 22-25,000 litres (6,600 US gal) of pesticide also plunged into the water, causing concerns about the risk of contamination of the Tocantins River.

[6] Owing to concerns of contamination by toxic chemicals, the governments of Tocantins and Maranhão recommended water providers to cut off the services of cities and towns supplied by the river.

[8] According to Caco Graça, a supervisor at Maranhão's environment secretariat, the risk of contamination had been minimized, following the discovery of the intact load which contained toxic substances.