(CBS) MINNEAPOLIS The entire
span of an interstate bridge
suddenly broke into huge
sections and collapsed into
the Mississippi River during
evening bumper-to-bumper
traffic Wednesday, sending
vehicles, tons of concrete and
twisted metal crashing into
the water.At least six people
died, the mayor said.The
Interstate 35W bridg
more

(CBS) MINNEAPOLIS The entire
span of an interstate bridge
suddenly broke into huge
sections and collapsed into
the Mississippi River during
evening bumper-to-bumper
traffic Wednesday, sending
vehicles, tons of concrete and
twisted metal crashing into
the water.At least six people
died, the mayor said.The
Interstate 35W bridge, which
spans between Minneapolis and
St. Paul, was under
construction when it broke
into several huge sections,
reports CBS station WCCO-TV.It
was not clear how many people
were injured. A witness
interviewed on CNN said seven
bodies were seen floating in
the river.A burning truck and
a school bus clung to one
slanted slab, while at least
eight cars and a truck were
submerged in the river. The
bus had just crossed the
bridge before it crumpled into
pieces, and broadcast reports
indicated the children on the
bus exited out the back
door.Dozens of vehicles were
scattered and stacked on top
of each other amid the rubble.
Some people were stranded on
parts of the bridge that were
not completely in the
water.Local television
stations captured video of
injured people being carried
up the riverbank. There was no
official word on injuries, but
dozens of rescue vehicles were
there. Divers were also in the
water.Gregory Wernick Sr.,
Rockford, Ill., drove over the
bridge shortly before the
collapse. He stopped to get a
drink nearby and heard
commotion so he went back.'I
figure I crossed about 10
minutes before it happened,'
he said. 'That's just too
close to call.'He was standing
about 200 feet away on top of
a parking ramp with large
group of people.'I've never
seen anything like this,' he
said.The Homeland Security
Department had received no
indications Wednesday night
that the collapse was an act
of terrorism, department
spokesman Russ Knocke said in
Washington.'We continue to
monitor the situation. At this
time, there's no indication of
a nexus to terrorism,' Knocke
said.'I thought it was just
construction going on ... it
was a free fall all the way to
the ground,' said one person
who was on the bridge at the
time. 'Thank God I was wearing
my seat belt.'According to
that same witness it was
bumper to bumper traffic when
the bridge collapsed.Some cars
are still precariously perched
on the bridge. Sections of the
bridge are mangled, some are
pointing up in the air and
some are in the river.'My
truck got completely torn in
half,' said Gary Bavanaugh,
who was on the bridge when it
collapsed. 'The bridge started
shaking and it went down
fast.'Bavanaugh said he was
headed northbound on I-35W
when he heard a huge rumbling
and he saw a huge cloud of
white dust as the bridge
collapsed. He had his seatbelt
on and said if he hadn't, his
head would have gone through
the windshield.Bavanaugh said
a school bus full of children
was ahead of him. He got on
the bus and helped children,
who he estimated ranged from 8
to 12 years old, off the bus
and off the bridge.'It is just
horrific,' said witness
Marilyn Franzen, who saw the
bridge collapse. Franzen said
she saw a school bus that
managed to stop before the
going over the edge of the
bridge that she said was
carrying 20 to 30
children.According to
witnesses, cars are crushed
and mangled under the bridge
where it collapsed onto the
shore of the river. Street
signs also crushed cars.People
are being sent to Hennepin
County Medical Center which is
very close to the scene of the
collapse.The bridge was opened
in 1967 and crosses the
Mississippi River in
Minneapolis.A maintenance
project began about nine
months ago repairing potholes
and other concrete on the
bridge. According to a
spokesperson from the Mn-DOT,
there was no work on the
actual structure under the
bridge.http://www.panthermoder
ns.com

Category Film & Animation

Tags Minneapolis, bridge, collapse