Councillor Elias Junior said he never expected the bridge to actually collapse when he was there and was “in shock”.
Eight vehicles plunged into the river, including the three lorries containing chemicals.
People in the cities of Estreito and Aguiarnopolis, on either side of the river, have been told to avoid collecting water from it.
Rescue operations are being carried out from boats. Four bodies have been recovered, including the female driver of one of the trucks and an 11-year-old girl, the fire service said. One man was rescued alive from the water on Sunday.
The Juscelino Kubitschek de Oliveira bridge – which is more than half a kilometre (1,600ft) long – was built in the 1960s and is the main link between the two states across the Tocantins river.
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