A Minneapolis bridge has collapsed at approximately 6:05 p.m. in bumper-to-bumper traffic. As of 11:42 p.m. Central Daylight Time, at least seven people are dead.
Streaming updates are provided below.
Background on the 35W bridge is here.
Possibly 9 vehicles fell into the Mississippi River when the bridge collapsed.
An aerial photo of the bridge from an apartment window and a few details are here.
Here's a wide aerial photo from Fox News:
The Associated Press story is here.
The Minneapolis Star-Tribune has coverage here, including this:
The Interstate Hwy. 35W bridge over the Mississippi River collapsed during the evening rush hour Wednesday, dumping an estimated 50 vehicles into the water and onto the land below, creating a horrific scene of damage, fire, smoke, injuries, frantic rescuers and bloody, terrified motorists.
It was not clear how many people might have been hurt or killed, but witnesses said at least 20 cars were involved. As of 7:30, one construction worker was unaccounted for and three injured. Rescuers rushed to help people escape cars trapped in the V where the bridge had caved in. Many vehicles, including at least one semitractor trailer, were on fire. People were also reportedly floundering in the river.
The crumpled wreckage of the bridge lay on the east bank of the river, and a huge section of concrete roadway lay on the west bank. Down below in the river gorge, rescue workers scrambled to help people on the roadway that now lay in the gorge. Fire and black smoke rose from the wreckage. Workers had been repairing the 40-year-old bridge’s surface as part of improvements along that stretch of the interstate.
Officials set up a triage center for some of the injured at the American Red Cross office a block from the bridge, said Red Cross spokeswoman Tammy Nystuen.
“I know that at least some of the kids from the school bus are there. I don’t know where they’re from or if anybody is badly hurt,” she said. The building is at 1201 West River Parkway.
In an earlier version of the same story, the Star Tribune also noted:
Multiple trauma victims -- some in critical condition -- have been taken to Hemmpein County Medical Center.
It is now 8:14 p.m. Central Daylight Time. The time remaining for daylight rescue is dwindling. A Minneapolis cam is here.
Traffic cams in the area of the bridge collapse appear to be shut down at this time. You can make out large sections of highway that have been coned off.
James Lileks logs in at Buzz.mn.
CNN is reporting that at least three people are confirmed dead:
At least three people were killed when an interstate bridge in Minneapolis, Minnesota, collapsed Wednesday evening, plunging cars and chunks of concrete into the Mississippi River below.
>p>There were "lots" of injuries, said the state Homeland Security and Emergency Management Department.
The nearby University of Minnesota Medical Center received "just a handful" of injuries from the accident, spokesman Ryan Davenport said.
"One of our hospitals has five patients so far, and the other on the other side of the river has none," he said.
The accident occurred shortly after 6 p.m. (7 p.m. ET). There were 50 to 100 cars on the bridge at the time, according to early estimates. Witnesses described a "dust cloud" as the bridge collapsed.
Lt. Amelia Huffman of the Minneapolis Police Department told CNN affiliate KARE it was "not clear at this point what caused the collapse" of the Interstate 35W bridge near University Avenue.
"We have personnel there in the rescue effort," she said. "I have never seen anything remotely like this before."
The Department of Homeland Security had no indication that terrorism played a role in the disaster, Sen. Norm Coleman, R-Minnesota, told CNN.
Shortly after the collapse, a tractor trailer was burning on the bridge.
Crews have been using boats to help remove people from the water, bringing them up on the river bank, but bad weather moving into the area could hamper the rescue efforts.
"I don't know how much more could go bad here, but right now, we've got the perfect storm brewing out there, so we're trying to work as hard as we can to pull people out of there" said Kristi Rollwagen, deputy director of Minneapolis emergency preparedness.
Aerial footage showed the middle of the bridge caved in, lying in the Mississippi River, with cars both on top and submerged in the water.
Witnesses told CNN a school bus filled with children was on the bridge when it collapsed, but they also said the bus did not drop into the water and it appeared that the children had all been evacuated.
Local Fox News Twin Cities coverage is here.
Ed Morrissey at Captain's Quarters weighs in from a local perspective and asks for prayers. Amen that.
John Hinderaker at Powerline points out that 35W is the main artery that runs between the Twin Cities.
Another good photo here from Michelle Malkin's website:
She also links to this eyewitness account from a Minneapolis blogger.
Wizbang and Hot Air are also providing a series of updates.
Extensive updates and dramatic photos continue below the break. Click on "Continue Reading . . ." and wait a few seconds for the website to scroll to the next portion of this story
This update is now available from Fox News:
A doctor confimed at least one person died due to drowning, at least six people suffered critical injuries and at least 22 people have minor injuries. Two other deaths have been reported
Dr. Joseph Clinton of Hennepin County Medical Center which reported the fatality said he wasn't sure what to expect in regards to heightened death or injury toll later in the evening due to the catastrophe while authorities tell FOX News that there are between 20 to 30 people in the river and witnesses told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune that at least 20 cars may have been involved.
Television reports have said at least 50 cars may still be in the river.
Tons of concrete have collapsed and survivors are being carried up the riverbank. Both the northbound and southbound lanes of 35W are lying in the Mississippi River, according to local CBS affiliate WCCO.com.
Nothing posted on the bridge collapse yet at the Red Cross's national website, but the American Red Cross website is here. ACcording to local news coverage, the American Red Cross Twin Cities website is being updated, but I was unable to access the Twin Cities website this evening, probably due to heavy traffic. Update: A web page with important phone numbers and links is here. It includes a phone number for the Twin Cities Red Cross and other useful information.
ABC News is now reporting that six people have died in the collapse and about 50 cars fell into the river. ABC News also has this photo showing more detail:
Fox News now has this photo of the aftermath:
Here's another photo from the New York Times website:
BBC News has more details:
Tons of concrete crashed 64 feet (20 metres) into the water after the interstate bridge crumbled.
A freight train passing on a track under the bridge was cut in two when it collapsed.
Eyewitnesses said they heard a rumbling sound as the 40-year-old structure fell into the river.
Leone Carstens, a local resident, told the Minneapolis Star Tribune newspaper: "First I heard this huge roar.
"I was at my computer. Initially I thought: 'Wow was that an airplane?'"
'Multiple patients'
Eyewitnesses said they saw people in the water and rescuers carrying survivors up the riverbank.
Minneapolis's KSTP.com has excellent coverage and live video. KSTP is reporting the following:
At least six patients remain in critical condition at Hennepin County Medical Center.
The Red Cross is now on the scene.
A recovery effort is still going on.
The FBI is investigating the scene with bomb-sniffing dogs.
At least four people have underone emergency surgery this evening.
Questions are being asked about whether this bridge collapse is a symptom of an underfunded infrastructure. Here is an overview of sources of revenue for Minnesota's highways. An even simpler and more visual explanation is here.
The 95W bridge was built in 1967. It was last inspected in 2006 (other reports say 2004, which is probably more reliable) and no structural problesm were found. If the 95W bridge collapsed due to an unknown structural problem, then having more funds available for repairs would not have helped. More frequent or more thorough inspections might be called for, but that's a matter for expert opinion. Once the cause of the collapse is determined, it will be easier to identify the best solution.
WCCO is now reporting that at least seven are dead. Also:
The Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis announced that a prayer services for victims of bridge disaster and their families will be held Thursday at noon.
One will be held at St. Olaf Catholic Church located at 215 South 8th Street, Minneapolis and another at The Cathedral of Saint Paul located at 239 Selby Avenue, Saint Paul.
New at 11:29 p.m.:
Two adult sisters at HCMC have fractures to the back, according to family members and the mother of those two woman has severe head trauma.
New at 11:27 p.m.:
Road crews had been working on the 40-year-old bridge's deck, joints, guardrails and lights this week. "None of it would be related to the structure," said Bob McFarlin, assistant to Minnesota Transportation Commissioner Carol Molnau.
The bridge was scheduled for inspection this fall, he said.
New at 11:25 p.m.:
Tom Sloan, head of the bridge division for Progressive Contractors Inc. said his company had 18 workers on the bridge at the time of the collapse and one was unaccounted for on Wednesday night. Three were hospitalized, while several others were treated for minor injuries, he said.
New at 11:23 p.m.
The Minnesota State Patrol believes that 20 people are still missing.
More details from an updated AP report:
Gov. Tim Pawlenty said the bridge was inspected by the Minnesota Department of Transportation in 2005 and 2006 and that no structural problems were noted. "There were some minor things that needed attention," he said.
Police Chief Tim Dolan said officers were checking other bridges as a precaution.
The steel-arched bridge, which was built in 1967, rose about 64 feet above the river and stretched about 1,900 feet across the river. The bridge was built with a single 458-foot-long steel arch to avoid putting any piers in the water that might interfere with river navigation.
A burning truck and a school bus clung to one slanted slab. The bus had just crossed the bridge before it crumpled into pieces.
Christine Swift's 10-year-old daughter, Kaleigh, was on the bus returning from a field trip and called her mother. "She was screaming, 'The bridge collapsed!'" Swift said.
She said a police officer told her all the kids got off the bus safely.
It appeared that the center section of the bridge dropped straight down and pancaked in the middle of the river, leaving several vehicles stranded on a broken island of wreckage. As divers plumbed the waters, other rescuers searched frantically for victims amid broken, zigzagged sections of blacktop. Some of the injured were carried up the riverbanks.
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 weren't completely in the water.
Many motorists may have been headed to the Minnesota Twins game not far from the bridge. Team officials decided to play the game after conferring with department of public safety officials. It was decided that sending 20,000 to 25,000 people back into traffic could hinder rescue efforts, said team president Dave St. Peter.
Catherine Yankelevich survived a 1994 earthquake in Northridge, Calif., and was on the I-35W bridge when it began to shake. "Cars started flying and I was falling and saw the water," she said. After her car plunged into the river, she climbed out the driver's side window and swam to shore uninjured.
Road crews had been working on the 40-year-old bridge's deck, joints, guardrails and lights this week. "None of it would be related to the structure," said Bob McFarlin, assistant to Minnesota Transportation Commissioner Carol Molnau.
The bridge was scheduled for inspection this fall, he said.
As of Thursday morning, 20 to 30 people remain unaccounted for. It is known that there are victims in submerged cars, some trapped under heavy pieces of the bridge. License plate numbers from the cars are being collected to attempt to determine who is missing.
A new report says that the bridge was found "structrually deficient" and possibly in need of replacement in 2005. From the Star Tribune:
The deficiency rating is derived from a complex formula that evaluates many factors and condenses them into an overall score. A score of 80 percent or less indicates some rehabilitation may be needed; a 50 percent score or less indicates replacement may be in order.
The I-35W bridge was rated at 50 percent. The rating data was provided to the Star Tribune by the National Institute of Computer Assisted Reporting.
The inventory data also summarize the bridge's status as "structurally deficient." Bridge components are ranked on a scale of 0 to 9, with 0 being "failed" and 9 being "excellent."
In 2005, the bridge's superstructure -- meaning the physical conditions of all structural members -- was rated at 4, records show. The bridge's deck was rated 5, and the substructure, comprised of the piers, abutments, footings and other components, was rated 6.
Security camera footage of the bridge collapse is now available here.
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