Photo: screenshot from Youtube
Remember that movie Bridge on the River Kwai, where the Japanese used forced POWs to make a huge bride for the Burma Railway? It seemed like a really stupid idea to make the whole thing from wood, especially when it was supposed to support a locomotive, but the Asians are experts are making buildings using natural materials. Just look at any skyscraper rising over the Chinese smog and you'll see the scaffolding is made from bamboo.
This is because using bamboo is lighter, cheaper and easier than conventional steel. The material is also flexible, swaying with the wing without buckling. Last time we checked, there's no bamboo in Brazil, so we were more than a little surprised to see this next video that shows a huge road bridge.
It shows a huge tanker truck attempting a river crossing on a somewhat impressive wooden bridge. Halfway through the journey, just when you think he's going to make it, the structure suddenly gives way and the tanker plunges into the river.
According to the Google Maps location added to this Liveleak video, this happened in Canarana, a municipality located right at the heart of Brazil. Like most of the country, this region is criss-crossed by endless rivers and deltas, so we can understand why they didn't built the bridge using expensive materials. But why, for the love of god, didn't the transport company buy two smaller trucks instead of a really big and heavy one?
[LIVELEAK=http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=e50_1410453402]
It shows a huge tanker truck attempting a river crossing on a somewhat impressive wooden bridge. Halfway through the journey, just when you think he's going to make it, the structure suddenly gives way and the tanker plunges into the river.
According to the Google Maps location added to this Liveleak video, this happened in Canarana, a municipality located right at the heart of Brazil. Like most of the country, this region is criss-crossed by endless rivers and deltas, so we can understand why they didn't built the bridge using expensive materials. But why, for the love of god, didn't the transport company buy two smaller trucks instead of a really big and heavy one?
[LIVELEAK=http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=e50_1410453402]
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