Bridge Collapse in Minneapolis

At 6:05 p.m.central time, a part of 35W in Minneapolis, Minnesota, collapsed over the Mississippi River. It was rush hour and the bridge was packed with cars. They assume that there was over 50+ cars on the bridge at the time. There was several fires associated with the bridge collapsing. Several rescue boats are going up and down the Mississippi River trying to find anyone who may still be in the water.

Medical assistance arrived from nearby towns to help out. There was also a train underneath the bridge at the time it collapsed. Nearby hospital called code orange, for emergency situations. Free wi-fi is available to people in the area so that they can contact loved one to alert them to let them know they are OK. At least 3 people were rescued by hovercraft.

Rescue dogs showed up on the scene to look for people who may still be alive and still in the river. Smoke could be seen for miles from the fires caused by the collapse. People on the bridge reported hearing a rumble, and then looking out their rear view mirrors to see cars disappearing. Rescue teams are having a hard time getting to the scene of the accident because there are too many people flocking to the scene of the bridge collapsing.

There was a school bus carrying children from a youth group ages 5 - 15. Though the bus took a huge drop, all the children were rescued from the bus and are all OK. People were advised not to use cell phones in the area as service is getting jammed. They re-routed traffic and advised people to stay away from the area. Emergencies crews worked well into the night to make sure that all the people are safe.

Red cross is working on setting up a website for people to contact loved ones. 35W is one of the major freeways that goes through the center of the Twin Cities, downtown Minneapolis. It will take several months, if not years, to repair this bridge. It is too early to tell what actually caused the bridge to collapse.