Thursday - August 02, 2007

Bridge Collapse in Minneapolis

I was not online last night, so missed much of the coverage.  From the Star-Tribune:

The Interstate Hwy. 35W bridge over the Mississippi River collapsed around 6:15 p.m. today, dumping at least eight cars and a truck into the water and land below. It was not clear how many people might be hurt or killed. ...

The collapse left some cars intact on the deck of the bridge, but others tumbled into the river, according to Joe Blade, a resident of the Riverview Tower at 1920 South First St.

“The bridge is collapsed into the river,” said Blade, speaking to a reporter from his apartment in the tower. “There’s black smoke coming out from underneath it at the southern edge of the collapse.”

Another resident of the tower said she heard the bridge collapse. “First I heard this huge roar,” said Leone Carstens. “I was at my computer. Initially I thought, Wow was that an airplane?” The scene that greeted her when she looked out her window was “awful,” she said.

The bridge was crowded with rush hour vehicles when it collapsed, she said. Thick black smoke rose up from the bridge as at least one vehicle burned on the cement below, she said. She said she couldn’t make out vehicles in the water, but there was debris.

“It could be people in the water. It may just be stuff sticking up out of the water,” she said. “They don’t seem to be moving.”

They’re not saying terrorrism yet, but Homeland Security is on the scene.  No one saw or reported explosions or the like.  It appears to be a massive structural failure.

They’re doing their best to recover bodies now.  It’s no longer a rescue effort.  Over fifty vehicles are reported to have plunged into the river, including a school bus full of kids.

Pray

**Update on the busload of kids here **

Riding tons of falling concrete to the river bank below, dozens of children on a summer youth program field trip survived the collapse of an interstate bridge in Minneapolis, Minnesota, during the evening rush hour on Wednesday.

“We were on our way back from the swimming field trip,” said Ryan Watkins, one of the youths on the bus. “We were riding over the bridge and the bridge collapsed and we were right on the part where it went down—where it curved down,” he said, describing the collapse of the Interstate 35W bridge near University Avenue.

Watkins was one of 52 kids and nine adults who survived the accident, according to Tony Wagner, the president of the local non-profit social services group that organized the trip.

Eight of the kids, ages 5 to 14, were hospitalized with injuries, Wagner said.

Thankfully, it looks like only about seven people lost their lives.  By the looks of this mess, it could have been a lot, lot worse.

Posted by Drew458     on 08/02/2007 at 04:53 AM   
Filed Under: • News-Briefs •  
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