Minn., Bridge Victims Strike $38M Compensation Deal

(NEWSER) - The body of a 2-year-old girl is among those recovered from the wreckage of the I35W bridge in Minneapolis; the toddler's mother has not yet been found, CNN reports. Remains located by divers in the Mississippi today bring the total number of casualties in the Aug. 1 collapse to at least nine. More»

Same metal plates are used by hundreds of other bridges

(NEWSER) - Federal experts investigating the Minneapolis bridge disaster have identified a structural flaw that may have led to the collapse, reports the New York Times. Investigators suspect that steel gusset plates used to connect the girders weren't strong enough to support the bridge right from the start. Federal authorities immediately warned states to be careful to calculate added weight when assigning construction crews to work on bridges. More»

Jigsaw parts to be examined; search for victims continues

(NEWSER) - NTSB investigators will rebuild the wreckage of the I-35W bridge downriver, the Star Tribune reports. Safety officials will examine the twisted rubble piece by piece in an attempt to figure out what caused last week's devastating collapse. Investigators also hope to recover bodies still trapped in the debris. More»

President makes a visit to inspect collapsed bridge

(NEWSER) - President Bush got an aerial view of the collapsed highway bridge in Minneapolis today, as his Marine One helicapter circled the site several times to allow the commander in chief to inspect the wreckage. He listened to briefings on plans for recovery, and met with victims' families. More»

Investigators examine site, computer models in quest to explain structural failure

(NEWSER) - State and private experts are investigating the wreckage of the I-35W bridge in search of a structural explanation for Wednesday's collapse, and sophisticated computer modeling is testing stress points. Time looks at bridges, seemingly indestructible structures that carry enormous volumes of traffic and can succumb to anything from corrosion to a faulty component the size of a pin. More»