Pedestrian rescued After sidewalk Collapse in manaus, Brazil
Manaus, Brazil – A pedestrian narrowly escaped serious injury after a section of sidewalk in Manaus, Brazil, collapsed on Tuesday, swallowing him into a sinkhole. The incident, captured on video and widely shared online, occurred on Paraguaçu Street near a school as students where being dismissed.
According to the Manaus Mayor’s Office, the man sustained only minor scratches to his arms and is in stable condition. He was rescued by bystanders before the arrival of Military Police, who subsequently secured the area.
The collapse is attributed to a combination of deteriorating infrastructure and an illegal sewage connection. The Municipal Infrastructure Secretariat (Seminf) reported that the incident stemmed from the deterioration of old pipes and the presence of a clandestine sewer connection to a stormwater drainage gallery. The contact between organic waste and the pipes reportedly accelerated thier decomposition, leading to soil erosion and the eventual collapse.
“During the technical inspection, a clandestine sewer connection was identified, irregularly connected to the drainage gallery, a structure intended exclusively for the drainage of stormwater,” Seminf stated.
Authorities are currently replacing the old pipes with more modern, resistant systems to improve storm drainage in the area. Though, Aguas de Manaus, the local water and sewage concessionaire, disputes the official account.
In a statement, Aguas de Manaus asserted, “the company emphasizes that there is no connection between the accident and any of the dealership’s services,” and that there is no operational sewage network under their obligation at the incident site.
This denial contradicts reports from local residents and Seminf, who maintain the sinkhole was caused by a sewage leak. Local authorities are continuing to investigate the structural damage and determine responsibility for the illegal connection. The incident highlights the ongoing challenges of aging infrastructure and illegal modifications to public utility systems in the region.
