Click to play videoMinneapolis: A freeway bridge over the Mississippi river in the US collapsed, killing 7 people and 60 injured on Wednesday. The interstate bridge jammed with rush-hour traffic and broke into huge sections.
It then collapsed into the Mississippi River, pitching dozens of cars 60 feet into the water and killing at least seven people. Police say the cause of the collapse is still unclear, but construction work was in progress on some parts of the bridge. Rescue crews are searching the rubble for survivors. Emergency workers say there were around a hundred cars on the bridge at the time of the collapse.
The eight-lane Interstate 35W bridge, a major Minneapolis artery, was in the midst of being repaired and two lanes in each direction were closed when the bridge buckled. About 20 families gathered at an information center, looking for information on loved ones they couldn't locate.
Minneapolis Fire Chief Jim Clack said 60 people were taken to area hospitals for treatment and that the death toll could rise.
Rescuers called off the search as nightfall made it too dangerous to search the waters, which were filled with chucks of the mangled bridge and at least 50 vehicles in the water.
"We think there are several more vehicles in the river we can't see yet," Clack said, adding that the likelihood of finding survivors was slim. Authorities referred family members searching for missing loved ones to a nearby hotel, where the Red Cross had set up operations.
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