Dozens Missing as Minneapolis Search Efforts Are Halted
The Interstate 35W bridge over the Mississippi River in Minneapolis on Thursday morning.
Rescue workers halted their efforts this afternoon to search the waters of the Mississippi River in Minneapolis for dozens of people still missing in the wreckage of a collapsed highway bridge after strong currents blocked their work.
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More Video »Four people are confirmed dead in the collapse, officials said. That figure is likely to rise as bodies of the missing, who are estimated to be at least 20 to about 30, are recovered from vehicles that fell into the river on Wednesday evening from the Interstate 35W bridge. The span, which was being resurfaced at the time, was filled with backed up rush-hour traffic when it gave way just after 6 p.m. Central time. Another 79 people were injured, officials said.
At least a dozen cars and trucks are in the river, officials said. Other vehicles remained on the pavement as it fell as much as 60 feet, and could be seen resting on the broken roadway as it lay on the river and its banks. Rescuers are working both on land and in the water, said Chief Tim Dolan of the Minneapolis Police Department.
Chief Dolan estimated that 20 to 30 people were missing in the bridge collapse. Mary Dooley, executive director of the Iowa Rivers chapter of the Red Cross, reported a higher number: 65 people still missing.
Richard Stanek, the Hennepin County sheriff, said that about 12 cars could be seen submerged in the river, and there are probably more out of sight below the surface.
Inspector Jeff Storms of the sheriff’s department, is dive team leader for the search. He said debris in the water was causing “eddies,” or swirling water, making it flow faster in some areas. Until the search was halted divers were going in two at a time, with two backup divers waiting in case of emergency, Inspector Storms said.
“We’re regrouping for the safety of the divers,” he said. “We’re making sure we’re taking this methodically.”
At Hennepin County Medical Center in downtown Minneapolis, less than two miles from bridge, 15 victims were being treated today, with 5 of them in critical condition. One person treated at the hospital died, and the cause was reported as drowning; eight others were treated and released.
Forty more people were admitted last night to the University of Minnesota Medical Center-Fairview, of whom five had arrived by ambulance. Today, 16 of them were still being treated, and were reported in good or fair condition.
About 10 families gathered today at the Holiday Inn in Minneapolis, where officials had set up an assistance center for them. Most were awaiting information about missing relatives.
Chief Dolan described wrenching scenes during the rescue. One severely injured person who was talking to medical workers managed to say goodbye to family members before dying, he said.
Officials said that the recovery operation could take three to five days, and the bridge was being treated as a crime scene, though indications are that it collapsed. The federal Homeland Security Department said it was not a terror act, The Associated Press reported.
“This is a catastrophe of historic proportions for Minnesota,” Gov. Tim Pawlenty said at a news conference late Wednesday evening.
Today, the governor called for inspections to ensure that the state does not have another bridge of the same type, according to The Star Tribune of Minneapolis. “The first thing we’re going to do is make sure that we immediately inspect and check all bridges of this design and that fall into this category on the assessment scale, ” Governor Pawlenty said.
Across the nation, other states, including Arizona, Michigan, New Jersey and New Mexico ordered inspections of their own, The A.P. reported.
The Minneapolis bridge, which is the state’s busiest and carries an average of about 140,000 vehicles a day according to the state transportation department. It was classified as “structurally deficient” in a federal report, the Associated Press reported.
Mr. Pawlenty said this morning that a federal government report on the bridge, making an assessment based on data provided by the state, “called for inspections, which we did, 2005-2006. Inspectors on the ground said yes, there is some fatigue in the bridge, but it doesn’t rise to the level of being immediately replaced. In fact, it was slotted for replacement in about 2020.”
He said later in the day that a final review of the bridge had been planned for September, after the current construction was completed, to determine if the bridge should be fixed or replaced.
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