USA: Amateur video shows the collapse of Minneapolis bridge

New pictures emerge of a collapsing Minneapolis bridge. New amateur video images show the collapse of the bridge in Minneapolis on Wednesday (August 1). More than 50 vehicles plunged 65 feet (20 metres) into the river and onto debris from Interstate 35W as the eight-lane bridge collapsed in a plume of dust, smoke and screams. Dozens of people were hurt, many suffering broken bones, head and spinal injuries. Five people have been confirmed dead and authorities said eight were still missing, down from as many as 30 earlier. The death toll was certain to rise from the unexplained collapse of the 500-foot (150-metre) span. Eyewitness Cole Naymark called it a very 'intense' and 'surreal' experience. Battling the swift currents, divers felt their way around twisted steel and chunks of concrete on Friday (August 3), searching for victims in the murky waters of the Mississippi River. The disaster was the worst U.S. bridge collapse in more than 20 years. One of the survivors of the deadly bridge crash spoke of the panic he experienced as he tried to escape with his life. "You know my first instinct was to panic. You always hear that that's the worst thing you can do and I knew I just needed to keep making decisions and I knew I, that was one thing else you just have to keep making decisions, whether it's the right or wrong decision, if I'm complacent, I'm not going to get through this. I just had to keep making decisions," said Bryan Sturgill originally from Ashland, Kentucky. Twenty-seven of the 98 people injured in the disaster remained in area hospitals, including five in critical condition and another five in serious condition, a hospital spokeswoman said.

ITN Source | August 4, 2007

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