THE NEW YORK TIMES

An interstate bridge in Minneapolis, loaded with rush-hour traffic, dropped more than 60 feet into the Mississippi River on Wednesday night, sending at least 50 vehicles into the water below.

At least seven people were killed and 60 were taken to hospitals, authorities said.

The eight-lane bridge on Interstate 35W, a major link between Minneapolis and St. Paul, was undergoing surface repairs. Witnesses said the bridge, which was built in 1967, collapsed in three sections, sending a plume of smoke 100 feet into the sky.

The collapsed section of the bridge, which was about 1,000 feet long, had been supported by a steel structure.

Divers and rescue boats continued to search the river and the twisted wreckage of the bridge, with darkness setting in and rain beginning to fall.

"This is a very busy bridge," said U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., whose home is nearby.

"It's really right in the heart of the city," Klobuchar told CNN. "Thousands of commuters use this bridge every day."

Dozens of vehicles were scattered and stacked on top of each other amid the rubble. Some people were stranded on parts of the bridge that weren't completely in the water.

A burning truck and a school bus clung to one slanted slab. The bus had crossed the bridge just before it crumpled into pieces.
http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/nation/08/02/0802bridge.html

WOW! I ALREADY HAVE A SLIGHT FEAR OF BRIDGES AND THIS DOESN'T HELP AT ALL! MY HEART GOES OUT TO ALL OF THE VICTIMS AND FAMILIES. THIS IS SAD. PLEASE BELIEVE THAT LAWSUITS ARE ABOUT TO START FLYING LEFT AND RIGHT