More bodies recovered in Minneapolis bridge collapse

Source: reuters




More bodies recovered in Minneapolis bridge collapse

By Todd Melby 39 minutes ago

MINNEAPOLIS (Reuters) - Authorities said they uncovered more bodies on Thursday from the wreckage of a U.S. highway bridge that collapsed into the Mississippi River, and more than 20 people were missing.

A section of the bridge in Minneapolis plunged into the river during Wednesday evening's rush hour in a deadly avalanche of steel and concrete, flipping dozens of vehicles into the river or onto the debris.

"Several (more) people are confirmed dead at the scene," Minneapolis Police Chief Tim Dolan said, in addition to the four deaths already confirmed by the local coroner.

..........

About 60 people were injured.

The death toll was almost certain to climb as recovery work continued.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070802/ts_nm/bridge_collapse_dc;_ylt=AuZzupmoWII6PZNeiuCVjS.s0NUE

Forum Name Latest Breaking News
Topic subject I-35W bridge collapses into Mississippi River in Minneapolis
Topic URL http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2937929#2937929
2937929, I-35W bridge collapses into Mississippi River in Minneapolis
Posted by MnFats on Wed Aug-01-07 06:32 PM

Source: wcco-tv, startribune

Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune

I-35W bridge collapses

By Warren Wolfe, Star Tribune

Last update: August 01, 2007 – 6:30 PM
The Interstate Hwy. 35W bridge over the Mississippi River collapsed this afternoon, dumping at least eight cars and a truck into the water and land below.

It was not clear how many people might be hurt or killed.



Read more: http://www.startribune.com/462/story/1338294.html

Where have we seen that before?

this morning both were reporting 4.

program? :shrug:

victims. A KSTP reporter speaking on the Bob Davis show this morning told a story about a first responder finding someone trapped in the wreckage, dying. The rescuer handed the victim a cellphone to say goodbye to loved ones. (from www.buzz.mn)

It's my understanding that cell relays were utterly swamped following the collapse. It would be doubly sad if the victim were unable to get through due to clogged bandwidth. :(

That could later be sent when the relays are working?

The 7 would be the count from the first responders. They would hold to the lower number until the coroner's confirmation to avoid the possibility of double-counts based on reports from the field, but that would mean that the persons known to be dead, but trapped under tons of concrete, won't be official till they get the body to to morgue.

act together. Around 10 PM on the radio they led and concluded with a badly worded early report that said 8 cars and one fatality. In between they noted the building rescue effort in the river where perhaps fifty cars might be hidden.

Now, there is nothing wrong when so explain what the preliminary count is all about, but there is when this kind of editing blankly says such and such and the story deepens again without any recognition of how and what they are reporting. Then they conclude with the same low figure without using the word "confirmed" or anything other than to make the story writing appear immensely stupid. Of course Homeland Security had to get a word in to quickly say it wasn't terror. That too was ham handed and irritating.

Just generally poor news reporting even of publicly physical events.

People mention steam pipes(we had an explosion in Rochester that was not made into a big deal even locally). Neither officials nor their lapdog media really want to get into causes concerning infrastructure unless the public is very upset. A lot of people have to died and a lot more people aroused before simple questions even get asked.

Seems nobody knows that the BAD news are ALWAYS published AFTER Wall Street closes.
The "nerve" here was the reduction from 7 to 4 even when they know the number will jump much higher.

Maybe I do not fully understand how the markets work, but it doesn't sound likely to me.

... and I can't raise her on her cell. She never goes anywhere without her phone.

I'm more than a little worried... actually, I'm pretty goddam hysterical.

:hug:

Hi. I'm in Europe and the mobile network can be a little different but...
Sometimes in rescue zones the mobile cells (antennas) are overloaded with calls.
A better way to contact is a SMS because the system almost always delivery the messages.
(sometimes the messages are delivered the next day or so but the success rate is almost 100%)

*Edited to change "overcharged" to "overloaded" (thanks, Hobarticus) :-)

The networks could be overloaded. It's pretty common in crisises.

I heard from a client there that the word's going around not to use cells for non-essential calls. She said they've just given up using cell phones until the weekend.

Although I can't see how searching for a loved one could ever possibly be non-essential, I hope that this is why you can't get ahold of her.

Hang in there.

Took awhile to get through to our family member in St. Paul last night...some anxious hours, but a great relief when we finally connected. I know it's been 'way too long for you, but things are pretty chaotic there. Keep the faith and let us know!

Oh, and welcome to DU!

Blessings!

She may have it turned off or the network may be overloaded. Just an FYI, hope your friend is ok.

Keep us posted and let us know as soon as you find out anything! I am sure she is alright. Communications are really poor right now especially with cellphones. Blessings and peace.

and I know that cell phones are really tied up. We are all hoping you hear from your friend soon.
Someone posted earlier that there is a website where some Minnesotans have registered themselves as "safe and well" so that concerned family and friends can search the list in case they can't get through on the phone. The site is www.safeandwell.org
Also, if you know her family, try contacting them. I know a lot of my daughter's friends have been calling her (in eastern Wisconsin)last night and today to inquire about her safety because they couldn't get through on her cell phone.

on the bridge. I-35W is the main route from downtown into northwestern St. Paul and the northern suburbs.

Source: StarTribune




River level to be lowered to help with recovery

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers plans to lower the water level of the Mississippi River by about 2 feet later today to allow emergency workers better access to vehicles at the site of the collapsed I-35W Bridge.

By Tom Meersman, Star Tribune

Last update: August 02, 2007 – 11:53 AM


The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers plans to lower the water level of the Mississippi River by about 2 feet later today to allow emergency workers better access to vehicles at the site of the collapsed I-35W Bridge.

Spokeswoman Shannon Bauer said that the Corps is waiting for investigators to finish their initial work at the site, and will then open some of the roller gates downstream at the Ford dam.

The dam controls the amount of water -- called a pool -- in the stretch of river where the bridge fell.

Read more: http://www.startribune.com/10204/story/1339966.html

---

Recovery is temp. suspended as parts of the concrete bridge are breaking off.r

The river at the site of the bridge collapse ranges from 4 to 13 feet deep, Bauer said.

Because of the drought across much of Minnesota, the Mississippi is flowing at only about 15 percent of normal, she said.

"The drought is helping," said Bauer. "Otherwise there would be a huge dam being created by all that debris in the water."

...that there have been extreme changes in temperature in Minneapolis lately, which could have contributed. He also mentioned the effect of water levels on the bridge. That said, I wonder how the neighboring bridge will fare, what with all the stress/changes it's under.

The collapsed bridge is just blocks from the heart of Minneapolis, near tourist attractions like the new Guthrie Theater and the Stone Arch Bridge. The steel-arched bridge built in 1967 rose about 64 feet above the river and stretched about 1,900 feet across the water.

Divers took down license plate numbers Thursday for authorities to track down the vehicles' owners. Getting the vehicles out was expected to take several days and involve moving around very large, heavy pieces of bridge.

"The bridge is still shifting," Dolan said. "We're dealing with the Mississippi River. We're dealing with currents. We're going to have to do it slowly and safely."

Police estimate that 20 to 30 people were unaccounted for, he said.......
.......

http://www.wctrib.com/ap/index.cfm?page=view&id=D8QP28GO0&forumcomm_check_return

Source: cnn


updated 17 minutes ago



Divers face dangerous conditions as river search continues

MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota (CNN) -- The search for bodies in the Mississippi River was painstakingly slow as divers navigated debris and coped with low visibility after Wednesday's deadly bridge collapse, officials said.

About 15 divers from local counties did a bank-to-bank search Thursday afternoon and found 11 vehicles, including an 18-wheeler, said Lynn Schwartz, Communication Specialist for the Bridge Collapse Command Center.

Vehicles with bodies inside are being taken out of the river, while empty ones are being marked and left in the water, she said.

Dozens of cars are trapped in the rubble or in the river after the eight-lane interstate bridge collapsed during Minneapolis' evening rush hour. Eight people are still missing, said Hennepin County Sheriff Richard Stanek.

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/08/02/bridge.collapse/index.html?section=cnn_topstories&eref=yahoo

a majority of people got out of the cars in the water--I'm thinking the reason they thought there might be up to 30 more casualties was because of a vehicle count.

she interviewed if they "felt responsible".

I want to reach through the screen (throttle her) and ask her if she and other reporters feel responsible for the Iraq war.

What a f***king idiot she is! :grr:

Source: Minneapolis Pioneer Press

The Hennepin County Medical Examiner Thursday named four of the dead from the I-35W bridge collapse.

-----

Julia Blackhawk, age, 32, of Savage, died of blunt force trauma.

Patrick Holmes, 26, of Mounds View, died of asphyxia.

Artemio Trinidad-Mena, 29, of Minneapolis, died of blunt force injuries and possible drowning.

Sherry Lou Engebretsen, 60, of Shoreview, cause of death still unknown.

Authorities said Thursday eight people remained unaccounted for.



Read more: http://www.twincities.com/allheadlines/ci_6528311

---

I hope it is only 8 missing! That would still be grim but certainly better than the 20-30 we've heard all day.

I saw an interview with Engebretsen's husband and two daughters while they were still waiting for news and hoping against hope that she had survived.

Sad too that they said she never took that bridge, but for some reason did so that day. From the pic she looks like a wonderful lady and mom.

The Hennepin County Medical center confirmed the death of a Shoreview woman Thursday.

5 EYEWITNESS NEWS spoke with a husband and daughter who were desperately looking for their wife and mother Thursday.

"I lost my mom, I don't know," daughter Jessica Engebretsen said, as she choked back tears. "This is the hardest thing ever. It's really hard."

She spoke with her mother, 60-year-old Sherry, Wednesday around 5:30 p.m. She said her mother never drove over the 35W bridge, but for some reason the family believes she did Wednesday. They have not heard from her since.

http://kstp.com/article/stories/S157300.shtml?cat=1

My heart and prayers go out to the families of those who lost their lives.

That was all that was there. All of the vehicles don't have bodies. They are going to remove the ones with bodies and mark the others and leave them there for the time being.

Crystal Manning and her fiance Michael Stoner had just had the worst morning of their lives.

Wednesday morning Crystal's two-year-old daughter, Emmaline, had fallen down the steps at their home in Spooner, Wisconsin. She was airlifted with a concussion to Minneapolis. The couple was rushing to her hospital room when they crossed the I-35W bridge and heard a horrible roar.

"It was just this unreal rumble," Michael recalled. "There was that first metallic bang, and then it sounded like an earthquake."

In seconds, the couple saw the far end of the bridge buckle, then drop, sending dozens of cars ahead of them tumbling over the edge. Soon, they too felt the bridge give way beneath them, sending them free falling into the Mississippi River.

"It was a good 15 feet from where the jeep hit the bridge to where the bridge hit the water," Michael said. "And we landed upside down in the water."



http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=261202