Hintze Ribeiro disaster
Encyclopedia
On the night of March 4, 2001, the Hintze Ribeiro disaster occurred when the Hintze Ribeiro Bridge, made of steel and concrete, collapsed in Entre-os-Rios, Castelo de Paiva
, Portugal
, killing 59 people, including those in a bus
and three car
s that were attempting to get to the other side of the Douro river.
Fast waters and a storm at the time gave no chance for an immediate rescue, and the victims drowned. Although the site of the accident was more than 30 kilometres (18.6 mi) away from the sea
, the strong river current meant that bodies were found as far away as the north coast of Spain
and one even France
.
The bridge
was more than 100 years old. Hours after the accident, the then Minister of Transportation Jorge Coelho
resigned. The following week, dozens of bridge
s 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.
The collapse was due to two decade
s of illegal but allowed sand
extraction which compromised the stability of the bridge's pillar
s, as well as disregard from the responsible officials despite the warnings of divers and technicians. Later the sand
extractors became the only ones indicted for a civil and criminal lawsuit.
Castelo de Paiva
Castelo de Paiva Municipality is located in the North East of Aveiro District in Portugal with a total area of 115.0 km² and a total population of 17,128 inhabitants...
, Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, killing 59 people, including those in a bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
and three car
Čar
Čar is a village in the municipality of Bujanovac, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the town has a population of 296 people.-References:...
s that were attempting to get to the other side of the Douro river.
Fast waters and a storm at the time gave no chance for an immediate rescue, and the victims drowned. Although the site of the accident was more than 30 kilometres (18.6 mi) away from the sea
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
, the strong river current meant that bodies were found as far away as the north coast of Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
and one even France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
The bridge
Bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span physical obstacles such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle...
was more than 100 years old. Hours after the accident, the then Minister of Transportation Jorge Coelho
Jorge Coelho
Jorge Miguel Correia Coelho is a Portuguese basketball player. He played at his home country for Portugal Telecom , CF Belenenses and FC Porto . He currently plays for Spanish side CB Palencia...
resigned. The following week, dozens of bridge
Bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span physical obstacles such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle...
s across Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
were closed for immediate repair. The tragedy caused widespread shock across the nation, with all television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
networks broadcasting continuous news bulletins, and many solidarity campaigns being organized to help the victims' relatives.
The collapse was due to two decade
Decade
A decade is a period of 10 years. The word is derived from the Ancient Greek dekas which means ten. This etymology is sometime confused with the Latin decas and dies , which is not correct....
s of illegal but allowed sand
Sand
Sand is a naturally occurring granular material composed of finely divided rock and mineral particles.The composition of sand is highly variable, depending on the local rock sources and conditions, but the most common constituent of sand in inland continental settings and non-tropical coastal...
extraction which compromised the stability of the bridge's pillar
Column
A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a vertical structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. For the purpose of wind or earthquake engineering, columns may be designed to resist lateral forces...
s, as well as disregard from the responsible officials despite the warnings of divers and technicians. Later the sand
Sand
Sand is a naturally occurring granular material composed of finely divided rock and mineral particles.The composition of sand is highly variable, depending on the local rock sources and conditions, but the most common constituent of sand in inland continental settings and non-tropical coastal...
extractors became the only ones indicted for a civil and criminal lawsuit.