Collapsed Bridge in Minnesota

Roxas is Hot · Aug 3, 2007

Recovery efforts in the collapse of a Minnesota bridge continued Friday under difficult conditions, with the death toll rising to five but the number of those still missing dropping from earlier estimates to only eight.

Murky waters and rapid currents made the search for those still unaccounted for dangerous and challenging, though the sheriff said it was going better than anticipated.

"This morning’s activity has gone much better than expected in terms of recovery operations," said Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek at an afternoon news conference.

He said 20 divers were on the scene working in teams of three, with one in the water at a time and the other two providing backup. The morning operation took place along the east bank of the river, but the afternoon effort focused on the west bank, where five targets — possible vehicles — had been identified with sonar, according to the sheriff. Divers were wearing rubber gloves and trying to determine license plate numbers with their hands.

At least five people were killed and 100 injured when the Interstate 35W bridge plummeted more than 60 feet into the Mississippi River during Wednesday's rush hour. As many as 30 had been feared missing.

At least five of the injured were in critical condition, hospital officials said.

"We were surprised that we didn't have more people seriously injured and killed," Minneapolis Fire Chief Jim Clack told The Associated Press. "I think it was something of a miracle."

Searchers cleared four of the five submerged vehicles they'd identified and didn't find any victims, according to Stanek. The fifth vehicle had been crushed by another car and was lodged under it at the bottom of the river. The sheriff said it would have to be examined later using "heavy equipment."

"There are windows down in some of the cars which allows people to get out. We are going to go under the assumption that there are still people there no matter what," said Hennepin County Capt. Bill Chandler.

Crews focused on 13 areas on the upstream side of the collapse, said Stanek.

The search efforts continued even as authorities reviewed the safety record of the bridge, which had been designated "structurally deficient" as early as 1990.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) held a briefing about the disaster Friday afternoon, and said that investigators were looking in particular at the southern end of the bridge.

One person who had been feared missing turned up safe at work, but Stanek cautioned that finding the missing could be a slow process because of the scene.

"It's a terrible mess, quite honestly," he said. "We don't know how many cars were up on the bridge when it collapsed, we don't know how many victims were inside."

Search conditions were improving after the Army Corps of Engineers lowered the water by about two feet, officials said. But visibility continued to be a problem, and divers couldn't see more than 6 inches in front of them, Chandler said.

Earlier Friday, Stanek spoke of the tricky elements divers would have to contend with when they were conducting their search.

"We've got the current and debris, which create manmade whirlpools," Stanek said Friday morning. "Conditions are worse than yesterday."

More bodies had been spotted in the fast-moving currents, which were "even more treacherous" Friday than a day earlier, Stanek said. But the death toll, while expected to grow, was not expected to reach the numbers that the disaster amid bumper-to-bumper, two-lane traffic might have produced.

First Lady Laura Bush visited the scene Friday morning. During a tour of the disaster site, she praised the rescuers who rushed to the bridge in the chaos after the collapse. "There's so many good stories," Bush said of the response. It "lifts people and it really encourages people."

At a local American Red Cross chapter, she shook hands with Jay Reeves, the group's public safety coordinator, who helped evacuate children from a school bus.

"She said she appreciated the service that I provided. She believes it was lucky someone like me was right there on the spot," Reeves, 39, said, his voice breaking. "You'll have to excuse me, but that was pretty cool."

President Bush plans to travel to the site Saturday.
Click to expand...

Rest of the article here

So...What do you think about it? Most people believe that the incident was caused by stress fractures in the parts that supported the bridge.

All I know is that there's a bunch of bridges like that in my state...kinda spooky, no?

N · Aug 3, 2007

Well, for one thing, I believe it could have been intentional. If it was made ALL of cement and stone, I think it could have been a stress fracture, but, by it being part cement/stone and metal, anyone could have basically weakened the metal holding it up so that when a bus or truck went over it, the metal would collaspe under the weight and fall.

The lucky part is that the children on the bus were not killed!

♥AL90♥ · Aug 4, 2007

It was very painful to hear about when I have a bridge like right there...

Solid Snake · Aug 4, 2007

hmm i dunno but my dad was actually there for buisness trip good thing his flight was delaid otherwise he would have been at the bridge cuz he was 30 mins away and his flight was delaid 30 mins now thats spooky

Ienzo · Aug 4, 2007

There have been many trajities(sp?) lately like all the floods and stuff but yeah this Bridge insident was horrible- I have heard it somewhere else earlier today. I was learning about structures in Tech and tey HAVE to hold its designed load and so it's not meant to happen. It's just horrible when you see the pictures of it.

Roxas is Hot · Aug 5, 2007

Ienzo said: ↑

There have been many trajities(sp?) lately like all the floods and stuff but yeah this Bridge insident was horrible- I have heard it somewhere else earlier today. I was learning about structures in Tech and tey HAVE to hold its designed load and so it's not meant to happen. It's just horrible when you see the pictures of it.
Click to expand...

I know.

Too bad it'll take at least two months to figure out what happened exactly.

xValorxSorax · Aug 5, 2007

I heard about that on the news. Sucks for the people on the bridge:(

It was bulit in 2005, and they're complaining about it built right, I mean, it's been supported for at leats 2 years. That's what I read in an article from Comcast Homepage.

Roxas is Hot · Aug 5, 2007

Yeah.

It was under construction during the collapse, so maybe that's a part of it all?

Log in or Sign up

Collapsed Bridge in Minnesota

Roxas is Hot I'd lick his Sea Salt stick anytime. ♥

N Hollow Bastion Committee

♥AL90♥ Hollow Bastion Committee

Solid Snake Kept you waiting, huh?

Premium

Ienzo ((̲̅ ̲̅(̲̅C̲̅r̲̅a̲̅y̲̅o̲̅l̲̲̅̅a̲̅( ̲̅̅((>

Premium

Roxas is Hot I'd lick his Sea Salt stick anytime. ♥

xValorxSorax Twilight Town Denizen

Roxas is Hot I'd lick his Sea Salt stick anytime. ♥