MINNEAPOLIS, Aug. 2, 2007
Tragedy In The Twin Cities
At Least 4 Dead, Over 60 Hurt, As Bridge Linking Minneapolis And St. Paul Collapses Into Mississippi River
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Play CBS Video Video Mayor On Bridge Collapse Harry Smith speaks with Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak about the bridge collapse and the emergency response efforts that followed in its immediate aftermath.
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Video Survivor Recounts Collapse Hannah Storm speaks with Minneapolis resident Bernie Toivonen, who was on his way home from work when the bridge collapsed beneath him, sending his car into the Mississippi River below.
- Video Minn. Rescue Efforts Resume
Rescue operations continue in Minneapolis, following the collapse of the I-35W bridge. At least seven people are dead and that number is expected to rise. Tracy Smith reports.
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Authorities believe dozens of vehicles were plunged into the water; at least one person drowned. (AP/Star Tribune/Jeff Wheeler)
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Chunks of concrete and twisted metal lie in the Mississippi River, Aug. 1, 2007. (TwinCities.com) (AP/Pioneer Press, LaRose-Chiglo)
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Survivors of the terrifying accident include Melissa Hughes (left, with baby), who was driving the red car seen in the background of this photo. It got hit by a pickup; Hughes somehow escaped injury. (AP/Star Tribune/Jerry Holt)
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Witnesses say the I-35W bridge between Minneapolis and St. Paul, seen here Aug. 1, 2007, made a strange noise and within minutes had crumbled into pieces, collapsing into the Mississippi River. (AP/The Star Tribune, Heather Munro)
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Many rescue workers found boats were the best way to reach, and search for, victims of the collapse. (AP Photo/Adam Wolf)
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Photo Essay Twin Cities Bridge Collapse A major bridge suddenly turned into a scene of horror as it collapsed into the Mississippi River.
Melissa Hughes, 32, of Minneapolis said she was driving home across the bridge when she went down with the western edge as the span caved in.
"You know that freefall feeling? I felt that twice," said Hughes, who was not injured.
A pickup ended up on top of her car, partially crushing the top and back end.
"I had no idea there was a vehicle on my car," she said. "It's really very surreal."
Ramon Houge told the St. Paul Pioneer Press that he was on his way home from work on the bridge when he heard a rumbling noise, saw the ground collapse and cars go down.
Traffic was bumper to bumper, Houge recalled, with cars backing up out of harm's way. He parked in a construction zone and was finally able to turn around and drive off the bridge. "It didn't seem like it was real," he said.
The surreal feeling was also in evidence at the ballpark, where the Twins decided to go ahead with their game to keep the some 20,000 fans in place and out of the way of rescue workers. It was not, however, business as usual. The game was preceded by an announcement of the tragedy and a moment for prayer.
There will be more prayers Thursday, in services to be held in cathedrals in both Minneapolis and St. Paul.
Wednesday's collapse, which will be the focus of several investigations on the cause, is one of a number of dramatic bridge collapses in the past forty years.
In the U.S., some of the worst include:
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- Lets pray for 1 minute....
More Photos at
http://shrimphead.blogspot.com/2007/08/minneapolis-bridge-collapses-photos.html - Reply to this comment
- Lets pray for 1 minute....
More Photos at http://shrimphead.blogspot.com/2007/08/minneapolis-bridge-collapses-photos.html - Reply to this comment
- Kinda weird. I believe somewhere I saw another story just recently about a bridge collasping in Butte California but it just wasn't quite as serious.
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- Kinda weird. I believe somewhere I saw another story just recently about a bridge collasping in Butte California but it just wasn't quite as serious.
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- One can only wonder about the infrastructure of this country. A Fed-Ex truck crushed in CA and only one day later, this. My prayers go out to the families of the injured, dead and missing.
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- One can only wonder about the infrastructure of this country. A Fed-Ex truck crushed in CA and only one day later, this. My prayers go out to the families of the injured, dead and missing.
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- So sad, but possibly preventable.
This collapsed bridge yesterday is an example of our infrastructure falling apart. Why? Because our money is diverted to funding an illegal war and lining the pockets of BushCo and the elites, rather than fixing our infrastructure, improving education and helping our citizens. You can expect more roads and bridges to collapse - think Katrina. This could have been worse...much worse.
Too bad Homeland Insecurity couldn't blame this on the so-called "terrorists"...
http://zeitgeistmovie.com/ - Reply to this comment
- "Both a city spokesperson and the main contractor for the repair job say it was not structural in nature."
Obviously it should have been.
"At this point there is nothing to suggest that this was anything other than a structural collapse."
The outcome of an investigation into the cause of the collapse should be interesting, especially in the wake of the Boston highway scandal reported a few days ago - Reply to this comment
- As usual, Americans can be applauded for rising to the occasion in the rescue efforts in this disaster.
And the Twins should be congratulated for thinking carefully about the consequences of canceling the game and having 20,000 people get in the way--playing the game was a good choice.
But I have to point out that we are spending tens of billions of dollars "nation building" in Iraq while our own nation is falling down.
Maybe we ought to repair the bridge beams in our own eye before we gouge the motes out of Iraqi eyes. - Reply to this comment
- With the amount of money the police (state, county and local) pull in from fines and other things, and the amount of taxes we pay that are supposed to be directly used for infrastructure improvements, how in the he11 can something like this continue to happen?
I can understand the Bay Bridge collapsing in San Francisco from that earthquake, but for stuff to just "fall" for no apparent reason? Somebody is negligent here...somebody government...somebody who likely enjoys benefits and influence from their position of overseeing bridge safety programs or some such.
I hope it all comes out in the wash. - Reply to this comment
- How sad this story is. It makes you wonder everytime you enter a highway and cross an overpass or bridge if it's going to happen to you.
Recently while driving over an Interstate 35 overpass in Waco, Texas I hit what I thought was a "pothole." That night on the news it was reported that a chunk of the bridge fell onto a car below. The incident happened about the time I was crossing over. I wonder now if that "pothole" was the chunk falling out underneath my Dodge Intrepid.
My heart goes out to these folks who lost their loved ones and to all of those now fighting for their lives. Our prayers are with you all. - Reply to this comment
- It's a miracle that more people didn't die.
Unbelievable.
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- Seems like a miracle that more didn't die
Unbelievable
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- this is right out of a horror movie - driving home after a hard day's work and bam! you're either in the water or on top of another vehicle. God bless these poor people. today i hope they find all the missing people - but you know they'll more than likely find them all in the water probably trapped in their cars. Lord help all these families.
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- A trillion dollar optional war, and tax giveaways for billionaires are what Bushit favors, not infrastructure maintenance of FEDERAL highways like I-35! That's too much like socialism.
The whole neocon strategy is to cripple government (like Katrina response) to make their claim that government can't do anything a self-fulfilling prophecy.
And indeed the federal government doesn't seem to be able to do much as long as Bushit, and the people who own and operate George W. Bushit, are in power. - Reply to this comment
- this is right out of a horror movie! those poor people on the bridge, just driving along (probably going home from work, etc) and bam - you're either in the water or on top of another vehicle. God bless them all. i hope all that are missing will be found today, but you know they'll probably find them all in the water, possibly trapped in their cars. oh Lord, help all these families.
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- this is right out of a horror movie! those poor people on the bridge, just driving along (probably going home from work, etc) and bam - you're either in the water or on top of another vehicle. God bless them all. i hope all that are missing will be found today, but you know they'll probably find them all in the water, possibly trapped in their cars. oh Lord, help all these families.
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- What terror they must have felt during this collapse, it's unimaginable. My thoughts and prayers are with all of those who survived and the families of those that didn't.
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- They are not just kidding about Tragedy In the twin Cities.
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- This bridge does not connect Minneapolis and St. Paul, it is completely in the city of Minneapolis. All the other national news outlets have it right, what's wrong with CBS? No wonder you guys are in last place. Don't blame Katie!
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