The Associated Press broke the story on the elevated bike path collapse after an AP reporter who happened to be on the scene saw the two bodies laid out on the beach.
Construction of the half-mile long bridge was completed in January, connecting the two neighborhoods of Leblon and Sao Conrado, according to the Brazilian news site, O Globo. A strong wave hit the bridge on Thursday, causing about 150-feet of the structure to collapse.
Interestingly, just a couple months after the completion of the bridge, the local newspaper ran a story on the bike path, showing photographs of rusted or missing handrails, and even sections where the bridge was deteriorating. While the bike path was not built to be used in any Olympic contests, it was built to provide access to the beach.
The second part of the bridge is nearing completion, extending the length from São Conrado to Barra de Tijuca. The bridge was christened Tim Maia ciclovia after the famous Brazilian singer. Eventually, the path will go from Leme to Pontal, as he sang in his song of the same name, reports the Rio Times Online.
According to the Atlantic, the AP reported: An Associated Press photographer at the scene saw two dead bodies laid out on the Sao Conrado beach. A woman thought to be the wife of one of the victims kneeled over his body, kissing his face and begging for another moment to “say goodbye.”
The bodies were fished out of the ocean by helicopters called to the scene. Breitbart news says the BBC is reporting that five people were missing, although that is yet to be confirmed. The elevated bike path runs along sheer cliffs along the ocean, in some places 10 of meters above the water.
Sadly, this incident took place even as the Olympic torch was lit in Athens, Greece, beginning the 15-week journey that will culminate on August 5, when the Olympic torch arrives in Rio de Janeiro for the opening of the 2016 Summer Olympic Games.
