Washington, Aug 2 (Xinhua) A freeway bridge over the Mississippi River in Minnesota collapsed Wednesday killing at least six people and plunging cars and tonnes of concrete into the water below, the city’s mayor said.
Mayor R.T. Rybak told reporters at City Hall that six people were confirmed dead in the collapse. “It will be a tragic night before it is over,” Rybak said after the accident occurred Wednesday night.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty described the incident as “a catastrophe of historic proportions”.
The Interstate 35W bridge in the largest city of the Midwestern US state collapsed at about 6.05 p.m.
Television footage showed that the central section of the eight-lane bridge caved in, leaving some survivors and cars stranded on parts that are not completely submerged.
A tractor-trailer caught fire sending heavy black smoke billowing into the sky.
The state Homeland Security and Emergency Management Department said there were “lots” of injuries, and CNN reported that at least 37 people were injured.
It was still not clear what caused the collapse.
Media reports said a school bus full of children was on the bridge when it collapsed, but they also said the bus did not drop into the water and it appeared that the children had all been evacuated.
Nighttime construction work took place on the bridge Tuesday and was to resume Wednesday night, according to the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT).
The highway would have been restricted to a single lane in both directions from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. both nights.
In Washington, the Homeland Security Department has so far received no indications that the collapse was an act of terrorism and said it will continue to monitor the situation.
The arched bridge, which was built in 1967, rises about 20 metres above the river.
About 100,000 cars travel over the bridge each day according to MnDOT and it is believed there were at least 50 cars on the bridge when it collapsed.
Firefighters and other rescue personnel are having a hard time reaching all the injured because of the debris and the location.
Kent Barnard of MnDOT, who is at the scene, said he has never seen anything like it in his life, comparing the damage to a California earthquake.
Hennepin County Medical Centre said it has treated 29 patients from the collapse and one of them has died.
The University of Minnesota Medical Centre said it received five patients from the accident and Northwestern Hospital said it received four.