Interstate I-35W Bridge Collapses into the Mississippi River in Minneapolis

[Brykovian]

And it looks pretty bad.

http://wcco.com/topstories/local_story_213191448.html

(WCCO) Minneapolis The Interstate 35W Mississippi River bridge near University Avenue has collapsed into the river.

Both the northbound and southbound lanes of 35W are lying in the Mississippi River.

There are multiple cars in the river and a couple cars on fire. According to one witness, there was a school bus full of children on the bridge.

Cars are still on the bridge.

There was no immediate word on injuries, but dozens of rescue vehicles were there. Divers were also in the water.

Tons of concrete have collapsed and people are injured. Survivors are being carried up the riverbank.

Some people are stranded on parts of the bridge that aren't completely in the water.

A tractor-trailer is on fire at the collapse scene.

Some cars are still precariously perched on the bridge. Sections of the bridge are mangled, some are pointing up in the air and some are in the river.

"My truck got completely torn in half," said Gary Bavanaugh, who was on the bridge when it collapsed. "The bridge started shaking and it went down fast."

Bavanaugh said he was headed northbound on I-35W when he heard a huge rumbling and he saw a huge cloud of white dust as the bridge collapsed. He had his seatbelt on and said if he hadn't, his head would have gone through the windshield.

Bavanaugh said a school bus full of children was ahead of him. He got on the bus and helped children, who he estimated to be 8-12 years old, off the bus and off the bridge.

"It is just horrific," said witness Marilyn Franzen, who saw the bridge collapse. Franzen said she saw a school bus that managed to stop before the going over the edge of the bridge that she said was carrying 20-30 children between the ages of 8 and 12 years old.

According to witnesses, cars are crushed and mangled under the bridge where it collapsed onto the shore of the river. Street signs also crushed cars.

The road has been under construction since the beginning of the summer.

Stay tuned to WCCO.com and WCCO-TV for more information on this breaking news story.

[Brykovian]

My family is safe, but my wife used to drive over that bridge every work day a few years ago ... has been over that bridge thousands of times.

We've accounted for most of our friends that we know might drive that way each day ... although there are a lot of former co-workers of my wife that we're going to want to hear from over the next few days.

Phone lines have been jammed at times tonight ... looks like an earthquake aftermath -- but no earthquakes here.

Catfish ... you okay? I think you're Minnesota-based, right?

-Bryk

[Jag]

Glad you and your family is ok BryK, terrible....

Nine dead in Mississippi bridge collapse

Aug 2 05:16 AM US/Eastern

Nine dead in Mississippi bridge collapse Aug 2 05:16 AM US/Eastern View smaller image At least nine people were killed after a highway bridge over the Mississippi river buckled and collapsed, plunging cars and trucks into the rushing waters below, officials said. Dozens of vehicles fell into the river or were crushed as parts of the eight-lane bridge, which rises 64 feet (20 meters) over the water, were sheared off during Wednesday evening rush hour in Minneapolis. "The bridge started falling, cars were flying everywhere and I saw the water coming up," said Catherine Yankelevich, who was driving across the bridge when it fell. Her car ended up in the water but she managed to roll down her window and swim to safety. A semi-truck caught fire after it was sliced in half, while a busload of children was stranded on a collapsed section of the roadway. Authorities confirmed nine dead and said 20 people were missing, adding that they expected the death toll to rise, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune newspaper reported Thursday. Fire chief Jim Clack said more than 60 people were taken to hospital and it was unlikely that any more survivors would be found. After four hours of frantic rescue operations, the search was suspended due to night fall, Clack said Wednesday evening. "We've ceased river operations for the evening. It's too dark. There's too much debris in the river to continue," he said. "We have moved from a rescue mode... to a recovery mode." In Washington, Department of Homeland Security officials said there was no sign that the bridge's collapse was the result of terrorism. "This is a catastrophe of historic proportions for Minnesota," said the state Governor Tim Pawlenty. The governor said the 40-year-old steel arch bridge was last inspected in 2006 and no structural problems were found. There was, however, work taking place on the bridge "relating to concrete repair and rehabilitation and replacement, guard rail replacement, righting replacement and work on the joints," he said. A 2001 report by the state Department of Transportation concluded that the bridge "should not have any problems with fatigue cracking in the foreseeable future" and recommended not to replace the bridge "prematurely." But it also pointed to problems with corrosion in the bridge's steel beams, "poor welding", and said it was designed under 1961 regulations that have since been rewritten with stricter rules. It was a disastrous scene at the bridge site as injured people crouched among the smoke on crumpled concrete, with steel girders submerged in the brown river. Rescue workers tied with yellow rope waded through the water and used boats to reach people stranded in the middle of the river. A school bus loaded with 60 children from a church group could be seen on the bridge but did not fall into the river as it collapsed. The children were all rescued, although ten of them were taken to hospital, the Red Cross said. As a result of the repair work taking place, only one lane was open in either direction when the bridge crumbled shortly after 6:00pm (2300 GMT), right in the middle of the local rush hour. Ramon Houge was driving on the bridge when he heard a rumbling noise, saw the ground collapse in front of him and watched cars go down into the water. Traffic was bumper-to-bumper at the time, and he estimated hundreds of people must have been involved. "It didn't seem like it was real," he said. Sarah Fahnhorst, who lives in an apartment a block away, heard a huge thud and then "the entire building shook. It shook the ground," she said. Among the missing was a worker carrying out repairs to the bridge, US media reported. Russ Knocke, spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, told AFP that there was no suggestion that the bridge had been attacked. "There are no indications of a nexus to terrorism at this time," Knocke said. Jag

[Jag]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=osocGiofdvc

Not terrorist related but here's the video of it going down!!!!!! Now who would be in just the right place to capture this event?

Jag

[Brykovian]

Now who would be in just the right place to capture this event?

Looks like a mounted camera ... security camera, perhaps? Not in the right place for a traffic-cam, although there has to be traffic-cam footage that Minn-DOT is holding for now.

The video does not look to be from a personal/hand-held camera ... so I'm guessing it's not sinister.

-Bryk

[Jag]

Maybe, but it sure seems odd this being posted to youtube so fast.

Jag

[American Patriot]

Fox just reported that the numbers are being decreased from 9 to 4 confirmed killed.

Very sad.

I hate that city.

[American Patriot]

[American Patriot]

[American Patriot]

[American Patriot]

[Brykovian]

I hate that city.

Really? Why for?

-Bryk

[American Patriot]

Getting stranded there by Northwest Arilines. Not really the city, per se, just having been stuck there twice in a week, both going on and come off vacation. Honestly, I don't hate the city itself, but it really upset me getting stuck there for afull day of a vacation I was supposed to be sleeping in Jamaica, and instead wound up there in chilly, rainy weather in a dumpy assed hotel 9 miles from the airport.

So... no, not REALLY the city itself.

[Brykovian]

Getting stranded there by Northwest Arilines.

Oh ... well ... *everyone* has that story!

-Bryk

[catfish]

Im cool and so are my friends and family, thanks for asking. It was a little frantic between about 7 and 8 with the cell phones being spotty at best. We finally managed to get through to everyone. One guy I know drove across that bridge 4 times that day, the last time being two hours before it collapsed. I personally have driven over it thousands of times I would guess. If you lived in the north metro and worked south you probably drove over that bridge. 35W is a major freeway right through downtown Minneapolis, its a great way to see the city buildings coming from both the north and south into downtown. I was born in Minneapolis, I love that city, so much great history. A great tragedy has happened that will haunt and effect us all for years to come.

[American Patriot]

Glad to hear from you again Catfish. Hope they get this mess fixed, and things get back to normal for you folks there. I'm betting that this was just structural collapse.

[American Patriot]

The stuff from NEIN here:

I-35 Bridge collapse in Minneapolis

Submitted by admin on Thu, 2007-08-02 01:44. U.S. News read more

LIVE COVERAGE: Tired of the talking heads on cable? Tune into the Patriot Brigade Radio Network (ON LIVE) for updates and interviews with eyewitnesses to the event. Note * We'll be updating this frequently as more information is scanned for keys and clues to this event. Stay tuned... Stay Safe... Stay Informed...

Image courtesy of Scotty Roberts Photography, taken by Raini Olsen

1 August 2007; 9:25 P.M. ET: Investigators at the Northeast Intelligence Network have been in touch with a senior police official at the scene of the I-35 bridge collapse. We are continuing to monitor the information from first responders and rescuers at the scene, whose first priority is rescue and recovery of the victims of the collapse. According to information from a senior investigator at the scene, there is no obvious evidence that would immediately pinpoint a cause for this horrific and large-scale tragedy. Accordingly, officials are "taking all of the necessary precautions" at the site, as well as in other areas, to handle any concurrent threats that could arise from this situation - or potentially be exploited by it.

As one senior official at the scene stated during phone contact:
"It is hard for anyone who is not here to imagine the enormity of this event. We don't know what caused this to happen, but are taking steps to rescue the trapped victims as well as insure the safety of our people. Right now, we simply don't know what caused this, but I've never seen anything of this magnitude before. Nothing can be ruled out." --Police official at the I-35 bridge collapse, speaking to agency director Douglas J. Hagmann by phone.

[American Patriot]

I don't know about everyone else, but I don't rule out terrorism in things like this, but, there are no "obvious signs" of it either, so unless and until there are some official investigation on the bridge, then... there is in my opinion no act of terrorism here.

I find it incomprehesible that everything is an act of terrorism these days, but on the other hand, I have a very hard time with people who don't look into things that very well could be. The recent weird fires, in fuel places, and the one where a whole lot of gas tanks exploded, etc. Then we have very obvious acts such as someone going into a mall and shooting everyone in sight while yelling "Allah Akbar".

[Brykovian]

I don't hear any group claiming credit for dropping the bridge. I would think a spectacular event like that would be worth yelling and shouting about.

[American Patriot]

I don't hear any group claiming credit for dropping the bridge. I would think a spectacular event like that would be worth yelling and shouting about.

That was sort of my point. I was kind of pointing to a specific thing in the NEIN statement, that I highlighted in red.

It implies somehow there are some other actions going on in the background. Sometimes I think NEIN (and those related) go out on a limb to look for demons.

That's all.