Today, a bridge collapsed here in my hometown. Currently, the death toll stands at seven.If you want to help call (612)871-7676. This is the Minnesota (Minneapolis) Red Cross. Thanks, Anderson.
At 6.05 local time, a bridge that spanned the Mississippi river in Minneapolis, collapsed into the river. It is believed at this time that 50 or so cars and various vehicles were involved, including a school bus carrying 60 children.
The Department of Homeland Security has ruled out any connection to a terrorist act. The NTSB will, of course be investigating. It is unknown if current redecking work that the bridge was undergoing at the time is a factor in initiating the collapse. This will be an event that will affect the area in many ways for an unforseeable length of time. When considering the economic and environmental impacts, it gets downright daunting. In addition, the traffic patterns are daunting...
The local police department has stated that operations are moving from a rescue one to a recovery one. There may be dozens of people still trapped underwater. The liklihood of their survival is slim to none. Divers will not be able to persue any further efforts until morning when there is light available.
There is little that I can add on a personal note. I was at work at the time of the collapse. This was a bridge I used every day to get to and from school. I received six phone calls from friends checking to make sure I was not in the area.
One of the big stories I have heard is how much Minnesotans pitched in to help. THe civilian who directed traffic; the men who helped the children off the bus; The woman wiuth the rope tied around her waist checking cars; the people who helped the injured as the firefighters pulled them out: each of them did us proud.
As I sit here trying to take in all the news, I started perusing the webstes to see how far reaching the news is.
Here are some websites.
A Google map look at the bridge
Red Cross
BBC
CNN
SwissInfo
The National Ledger
The New York Times (Video)
MSNBC
Fox
The Reading Chronicle
Local News KARE, Twin Cities, Star Tribune, WCCO, KSTP
I just read from one news outlet that we're now up to 9 dead, 60 injured.
India Times
TV New Zealand
Jerusalem Post
China News
al-Jazeera
WikiNews
Wikpage
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