SAO PAULO, Jan. 1 (Xinhua) -- The death toll rose to 12 from the collapse of a bridge in northern Brazil on Dec. 22 after two more bodies were recovered from the Tocantins River, the Brazilian Navy said Wednesday.
Five people are still missing since the accident occurred on the Juscelino Kubitschek de Oliveira Bridge along a highway connecting the states of Tocantins and Maranhao.
Navy tactical divers continue to search for the victims, with the help of police and firefighters, according to an official statement from state-run news outlet Agencia Brasil.
At least 10 vehicles, including three trucks carrying 25,000 liters of pesticides and 76 tons of sulfuric acid, plunged into the river when the bridge collapsed.
The National Water Agency said their tests of water samples indicate no chemical substances spilled into the water.
The National Directorate of Transport Infrastructure has launched an investigation on the cause of accident. ■
