35W Bridge collapsed…many feared dead!

[xiinfaniin]

Interstate Bridge Collapses Into Mississippi River in Minneapolis

 

By Joe Kimball and Elizabeth Williamson

Special to the Washington Post and Washington Post Staff Writer

Thursday, August 2, 2007; A01

 

 

MINNEAPOLIS, Aug. 1 ¿ An eight-lane highway bridge clogged with rush-hour traffic buckled and collapsed into the Mississippi River in central Minneapolis yesterday evening, pitching throwing numerous vehicles into the roiling water below. At least sevensix people were killed and dozens were injured, authorities the city's mayor said.

 

Emergency officials said the toll could was likely to rise as rescuers, hampered by burning cars and hunks of shattered broken roadway, scoured the debris-clogged river for survivors.

 

"This is a catastrophe of historic proportions for Minnesota," said Gov. Tim Pawlenty ®.? "We are doing everythingevery thing we can to make sure we respond as quickly as we can to this emergency."

 

It was not immediately clear what caused the Interstate 35W bridge to break apart. Witnesses described a lampost-shaking rumble at 6:05 p.m. central timeCDT as the concrete-and-steel structure rippled from south to north, then sheared broke apartoff, its 458500-foot long central section plunging from more than 60 feet into the greenish water.

 

As massive swaths of concrete sheared off, vehicles on the bridge fell., including a school bus, careened downward. Some of them plunged into the water, while others, including the a school bus, came to rest on slanted sections of pavement at the cliff-like edge of the roadway. Several of the vehicles caught fire and one tractor-trailer was sheared in half.

 

At least one person of the dead drowned. Rescue officials said many of the survivors were wounded seriously wounded.

 

Minneapolis emergency official Don Stickney said some lanes of the 40 year-old bridge were closed for "general maintenance," which may have reduced the number of potential casualties. Regardless, heStickney said, "Tthis would have been the busiest time of the day."

 

One eyewitness, Heather Munro,? said she heard a sound "like a wrecking ball hitting a concrete building." Turning in the direction of the sound, she said she saw a plume of dust rising above the treeline.

 

"It looked like complete total structural failure," said Munro, 40, of Minneapolis. "There was twisted metal everywhere."

 

Gazing down the embankment alongside the river, she spotted an injured man next to two SUVs sport-utility vehicles, one on top of the other piled atop each other. The man, his face streaming blood, was struggling to get up, but his right leg was askew as if broken, she said. About 300 feet away, she saw a woman climb out of the sunroof of her red Jeep.

 

"It was so surreal," Munro said. "She was carrying her purse. She had her arms open in a 'wWhat the heck?' gesture. It was just total bewilderment. She must have been in shock."

 

Homeland Security officials said they had have ruled out terrorism as a cause. Pawlenty said the bridge had been inspected in 2005 and 2006, and inspectors found "no immediate or noted structural problems" were found. with the bridge." He said the structure had been undergoing "cosmetic" repairs, including resurfacing, and guardrail and lighting replacement.

 

Reports issued by the Minnesota Department of Transportation over the past decade have detailed problems/repeat with the 40-year-old bridge. In 1997, the department noted "problems with the approach spans on both ends of the bridge, including "cracks ..... in the cross girder at the end of the approach spans." In a 2001 report, department engineers said that the bridge's deck truss "has not experienced fatigue cracking, but it has many poor fatigue details on the main truss and floor truss system."

 

But that report concluded that the bridge "should not have any problems with fatigue cracking in the foreseeable future." As a result, they authors wrote, the department "does not need to prematurely replace this bridge because of fatigue cracking, avoiding the high costs associated with such a large project."

 

Jay Danz, 45, of St. Paul told the Minneapolis Star- Tribune newspaper that he was driving to the Minnesota Twins baseball game on a parkway beneath the structure when he heard the bridge "creaking and making all sorts of noise it shouldn't make."

 

"And then the bridge just started to fall apart," he said.

 

Investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board traveled to Minneapolis last night to determine why the bridge collapsed, said Chairman the board's chairman, Mark V. Rosenker? said. About 200,000 vehicles a day pass over the bridge, which connects two sides of Minneapolis,? according to the Minnesota Department of Transportation. It is located near the city's business district and the University of Minnesota campus.

 

"It's obviously a catastrophic collapse," Rosenker said, adding that he had no details about how the accident occurred. "We are calling in bridge experts from across the country."

 

Emergency services officials from away as far as 430 miles arrived on away poured onto the scene. Racing against an approaching lightning storm and growing darkness, city officials dispatched boats and half a dozen a half-dozen dive teams in a frantic rescue effort.

 

Rescuers scrambled up and down the riverbanks, moving amid half-submerged cars and SUVs in the shadow of dangling concrete and blacktop overhead, their shouts punctuated by the cries of bloodied survivors. Further into the In deeper water, rescue divers launched themselves into open car windows, looking for trapped victims. Rescuers helped motorists stranded in their cars inside a vV-shaped gorge created by buckled roadway.

 

The bBroken north and south sections of the bridge stood almost vertical, bordered by snakelike twisted green girders, the roadbed's bottom edges resting on the wide riverbank below. Rescuers helped motorists stranded in their cars inside a vV-shaped gorge created by buckled roadway.

 

As late as 9:30 p.m., rescuers were still trying to search caverns of stacked concrete for victims, said Minnesota director of emergency preparedness Kristi Rollwagen, Minnesota director of emergency preparedness.

 

There were about 30 children aged five to 14 in the school bus, which was returning from a day camp. They were among the first to be evacuated and sent to local hospitals and shelters. Courtney Johnson of the American Red Cross said most of the children appeared not to be seriously hurt.

 

"It looked like a terrorist attack," Ryan Murphey?, 30 of Minneapolis told the Star-Tribune. "But everyone there was very calm and organized." Murphey said he helped carry stretchers holding two victims from the east riverbank, including a middle-aged woman with a blood-smeared face.

 

Emergency vehicles backed up several deep near the broken highway edge, where cars teetered crazily off the edge. Traffic had been moving at about 20 m.p.h. on the bridge when witnesses said its lightpoles trembled, and a low rumble built into the roar of the collapse.

 

At the Holiday Inn Metrodome, within sight of the collapse, half a dozen police chaplains and Red Cross workers had assembled to meet with family members orf others seeking victims or survivors as huge banks of search lights illuminated the scene of the rescue efforts.

 

Concerned Minnesotans jammed cell phone lines, looking for news of the crash and the whereabouts of loved ones headed home from work. Announcers told the crowd at the nearby Minnesota Twins game of the collapse shortly after 7:00 p.m. local time, but officials decided to continue the game after a moment of prayer to help prevent more traffic from from pouring into the chaotic scene.

 

The National Transportation Safety Board's Rosenker noted that the safety board, which is better known for investigating airplane and rail crashes, has recent experience with construction projects. determining why a heavy ceiling panel collapsed in Boston's Big Dig tunnel last year, killing a woman. The board blamed the big dig collapse on the improper use of glue to secure those panels.

 

wp

[Haneefah]

Subxanallah, truly tragic event. It's quite strange how the huge bridge crumbled like that.

 

Alxamdulilah family and friends are fine though it was difficult to get through their phones...I have yet to get a hold of some friends. Insha'Allah, I'm hoping for the best.

 

Xiin and Jimcaale, I'm glad to hear you're both safe and sound. Bi'idnillah, inta kalena kheyr baan u rajeynayaa.

[xiinfaniin]

^^Thanks much sister Haneefah! It's expected that the number of dead will increase tomorrow. Rescue teams have switched to a recovery mode now after the night fall. Soomalidu meeshaas aad bay runtii u maraan ee Allah ha ka badbaadiyyo!

[Nephissa]

Horrible tragedy! Allah dadkeenii ka badbaadsho. My prayers to the families of those who died, and also to those injured.

 

MN Sol-ers, isa soo xaadiriya pls. Xiin & Jim, good to know you're both OK.

 

Any word from my boy Farax Brown?

[Som@li]

Rabi ha ka badbaadiyo dhamaan,Aamin.

 

It is tragic,who even done the inspections last time are held responsible!

[Jacaylbaro]

I hope they won't say Osama is behind this ,,,,,

[Jacpher]

CNN: Video captures bridge collapse

[Crystal_Clear]

Very sad day today in MPLS.

[Ariadne]

JB: I don't think they will. Bridges collpase when they are not fixed and inspected properly. Or when people make complaints and they are not listened to.

You would think city officials would take it as a warning sign when pieces of a bridge start falling off. Or holes just keep getting bigger.

Same thing happened in Montreal last year.

[Abdulladiif Al-Fiqih]

Devastating Scene! My cousin was there. The Second car infront of her went down but she made it ok..little shakened.

 

My friend went on that bridge twice and the third time, it collapsed just before he reach there...Eebaa mahadle

[Gabbal]

Jimcaale, is this bridge near the downtown area?

 

It is interesting, I was listening to some NPR and according to them, the bridge had been inspected annually and has gotten a clean bill at every checkup.

 

Another reminder of our futile existence. Life can be taken away from you at the blink of an eye.

[Gabbal]

Anaguna ilaahay hanaga qabto the Alaskan Way Viaduct. It was cracked by the earthquake in 2001 and the State is still wrangling about to do with it, demolish and install a tunnel or not.

 

[Jacpher]

Horn, I think twin cities Ilaah baa u naxariistay. Thank God, all eight lines were not operational. Due to construction, 2 lines on each direction were open when it went down. The bridge is one of the major arteries to the city especially downtown area. The very exit is collapsed on is the downtown entrance and Washington & Cedar Ave, center of maryooley. U of M west campus sits on the other side of the bridge.

 

It was amazing how Mpls responded though. The local hospitals declared code orange as they cleared ICU units and ambulances rushed to the scene. I remember seeing police spokeswoman on TV saying we've got enough first responders. All other responders should report to their respective precincts.

[Faarax-Brawn]

Alxamdulilah I am alright Bishy & those worried for me. I was worried for Xiin since he takes that bridge maalin waliba. Duqa you are alright!

 

Haneefa, *waves*

 

Hope everyone is safe!!

[RedSea]

hayaay meesha waxbaa ka dhacay. Allah ha idiin sahlo reer MPLS.

 

Seriously, there this bridge in hargeysa that needs to be fixed as well. It really is old.

 

Horn lives in Alaska. Dude you'd be better off in Luuq.