4 dead, 30 missing as bridge collapses into Mississippi

An interstate bridge jammed with rush-hour traffic suddenly broke into huge sections and collapsed into the Mississippi River, pitching dozens of cars 60 feet into the water and killing at least four people...

An interstate bridge jammed with rush-hour traffic suddenly broke into huge sections and collapsed into the Mississippi River, pitching dozens of cars 60 feet into the water and killing at least four people on Wednesday evening.

As many as 30 people were missing as the rescue effort shifted to recovery. Minneapolis Fire Chief Jim Clack said 60 people were taken to area hospitals for treatment and that the death toll could rise. 8220;We think there are several more vehicles in the river we can8217;t see yet,8221; Clack said, adding that the likelihood of finding survivors was slim. About 20 families had gathered at an information center, looking for information on those missing.

The eight-lane Interstate 35W bridge, a major Minneapolis artery, was in the midst of being repaired and two lanes in each direction were closed when the bridge buckled on Wednesday evening. 8220;There were two lanes of traffic, bumper to bumper, at the point of the collapse. Those cars did go into the river,8221; said Minneapolis Police Lt Amelia Huffman. 8220;At this point there is nothing to suggest that this was anything other than a structural collapse.8221;

Jamie Winegar, an eyewitness, said she was sitting in the traffic when all of a sudden she started hearing 8220;boom, boom, boom and we were just dropping, dropping, dropping, dropping.8221; The car she was riding in landed on top of a smaller car but did not fall into the water.

The Homeland Security Department also said the collapse did not appear to be terrorism-related. The National Transportation Safety Board planned to send a team of investigators to Minneapolis.

Governor Tim Pawlenty said the bridge was inspected by the Minnesota Department of Transportation in 2005 and 2006 and that no structural problems were noted. 8220;There were some minor things that needed attention,8221; he said.

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. 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, rescuers searched frantically for victims amid broken sections of blacktop.