Minneapolis bridge collapses

jon1856 · #1 08-01-2007, 08:49 PM

So far three reported dead. School bus on bridge; unknown at this time if occupied. Near Univ of Minnesota.
MINNEAPOLIS (Reuters) - A bridge carrying a four-lane state highway across the Mississippi river in central Minneapolis collapsed during rush hour on Wednesday, plunging cars and trucks into the river.
The bridge carrying Route 35W, which was under repair, buckled and fell into the river at about 6:10 p.m. CDT, local media reported.
Witnesses said they heard a rumbling sound as the bridge collapsed into the river. Local media reported 20 to 30 injuries but initially no deaths.
http://www.reuters.com/article/topNe...2?feedType=RSS
http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/08/01/bri...pse/index.html
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,291790,00.html
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20079534/

ΣΣΣMagan · #2 08-01-2007, 08:54 PM

I just heard about this on CNN. This is horrible! My thoughts and praryers are with everyone involved.

smiley21 · #3 08-01-2007, 09:16 PM

I heard on Fox News that the bus had children on it and they were okay. Then again, so much information is coming and everything is confusing.

justabeachbrat · #4 08-01-2007, 09:27 PM

Prayers to all affected by it.

For Ohio, (southestern?) this must be really erie. Some of my relatives come from Point Pleasant (WV), where the sliver bridge (don't know if that was its official name), collapsed into the Ohio River , it connected WV with Gallipolis OH in 1969. It was a major route for east/west trucking and way for workers to the atomic power plant upriver. My great aunt, and grandma had many friends in area. Several people died in collapse. The movie "Mothman Prophicies (sp wrong, i know, spell check is acting up.) was based on folklore surrounding the collapse.

smiley21 · #5 08-01-2007, 09:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by justabeachbrat

The movie "Mothman Prophicies (sp wrong, i know, spell check is acting up.) was based on folklore surrounding the collapse.

I was just thinking about this movie. It came on tv last week so I watched it. (I saw it before in the theater). I was watching it thinking how horrible it would be if I was in something like that. Here in Jacksonville, there are a lot of overpasses and ramps popping up everywhere. Several just opened a few days ago. It is one of things that you think about but never really believe that it could happen. I can't imagine what those people experienced today.

kathykd2005 · #6 08-01-2007, 09:33 PM

This is INSANE! I will definitely be thinking about these people and their families!!!

justabeachbrat · #7 08-01-2007, 09:42 PM

I currently live in the central valley. CA. just yesterday, a bridge in a freeway revamping construction project fell down. it is a route I often take. I'd become irritated about the delays caused by the project. Luckily, no one died but a delivery truck driver was badly hurt, and two cops rescued a motorist pinned in the debris, they were on national CBS morning show.

justabeachbrat · #8 08-01-2007, 09:55 PM

a clarification....neighbor says what fell down here, central CA, was an overpass.

GeekyPenguin · #9 08-01-2007, 10:23 PM

I haven't heard from a ton of my friends yet but nobody's cell phone is able to make a call. My law school is a mile or so from there, it's so scary.

justabeachbrat · #10 08-01-2007, 10:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GeekyPenguin

I haven't heard from a ton of my friends yet but nobody's cell phone is able to make a call. My law school is a mile or so from there, it's so scary.

I hope everyone you know is OK.
any word yet what the cell problem is?

GeekyPenguin · #11 08-01-2007, 10:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by justabeachbrat

I hope everyone you know is OK.
any word yet what the cell problem is?

I would assume it's much like 9/11 where all the circuits are jammed from everyone trying to make calls.

ISUKappa · #12 08-01-2007, 10:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GeekyPenguin

I would assume it's much like 9/11 where all the circuits are jammed from everyone trying to make calls.

I'm glad you're okay. I think this is the only time I'll be glad my friends who lived in the cities moved to AZ this week.

GeekyPenguin · #13 08-01-2007, 10:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ISUKappa

I'm glad you're okay. I think this is the only time I'll be glad my friends who lived in the cities moved to AZ this week.

Thanks. I finally got to talk to one of my best friends about two hours after the collapse. He can't get ahold of any of his undergrad fraternity brothers or our law school friends. Apparently medical students from the University of Minnesota came rushing into the river to help.

kathykd2005 · #14 08-01-2007, 10:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GeekyPenguin

I would assume it's much like 9/11 where all the circuits are jammed from everyone trying to make calls.

That's just what I told a friend from Minneapolis attempting to call his friends there--it's just like then, the circuits got overloaded and I couldn't get through to my friends and family in NYC, either.

DeltAlum · #15 08-01-2007, 11:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by justabeachbrat

Prayers to all affected by it.

For Ohio, (southestern?) this must be really erie. Some of my relatives come from Point Pleasant (WV), where the sliver bridge (don't know if that was its official name), collapsed into the Ohio River , it connected WV with Gallapolis, OH in 1969. It was a major route for east/west trucking and way for workers to the atomic power plant upriver. My great aunt, and grandma had many friends in area. Several people died in collapse. The movie "Mothman Prophicies (sp wrong, i know, spell check is acting up.) was based on folklore surrounding the collapse.

Southeastern Ohio would be fairly accurate, and the bridge was named The Silver Bridge.

I wonder if your relatives might have known my great aunt and uncle who was the city auditor of Gallipolis at that time.

I remember the incident because I was on the air on a Sunday afternoon at a commercial radio station in Athens, Ohio -- probably 50 miles from Gallipolis. I received a call from the local Ohio State Highway Patrol (Athens) post that the bridge had fallen. Having no way to check myself, I called the Columbus bureau of the Associated Press and the word got out from there. We were the first media outlet to have the story. Of course our news director left for the site immediately. I also called a photographer friend at the Ohio University TV station where I also worked at the time and he shot some of the first footage of the scene. I think the year would have been 1967, though because I was no longer with the station in 1969.

The bridge spanned the Ohio River between Kanauga, Ohio (close to Gallipolis) and Point Pleasant, West Virginia. This event also happened in the late afternoon, and over 40 people were killed.

Here is a link to a story on that disaster.

http://www.wvculture.org/HiStory/dis...rbridge03.html

As of 9:00 PM Denver time today, the death toll in Minneapolis stands at seven and authorities expect it to rise.

Fortunately, our neice in the Twin Cities is OK.

I've also driven across the 35W bridge in the past.