CASTELO DE PAIVA — 2001 · Major Tragedy
The Hintze Ribeiro Bridge Collapse
At about 9:15 p.m. on 4 March 2001 a pillar of the 114-year-old Hintze Ribeiro Bridge over the Douro River, linking Entre-os-Rios and Castelo de Paiva, gave way. A bus and three cars crossing the bridge plunged into the flooded river, and all 59 people on board died. The bodies of more than half of the victims were never recovered. Experts found that sand extraction since the 1970s and a series of major floods had scoured the riverbed and undermined the pillar. The infrastructure minister resigned the next day, accepting political responsibility. A new bridge opened in May 2002 and a memorial was built to the victims.
- Date
- 2001
- Place
- Entre-os-Rios, Penafiel, Portugal, Castelo de Paiva, PT
- Category
- Major Tragedy
- Case Status
- Closed
- Coordinates
- 41.0800, -8.2900 ↗
Timeline of Events
- 4 March 2001The bridge collapsed; a bus and three cars fell into the river.
- 5 March 2001The infrastructure minister resigned.
- May 2002A replacement bridge opened.
- January 2003A memorial to the victims was inaugurated.
Sources
- Wikipedia — Hintze Ribeiro disaster en.wikipedia.org ↗
- IntechOpen — The Hintze Ribeiro Bridge Collapse and the Lessons Learned intechopen.com ↗
- Wikipedia
- IntechOpen (University of Coimbra)
Source grade A: several independent sources, at least one an official record or reference work. If you spot a mistake or something missing, report it with "Suggest a correction" in the app.
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🕯️ This record was prepared with respect, in memory of those who lost their lives.