30 Missing in Bridge Collapse

(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»

Hunt still on for missing

(NEWSER) - Federal engineers rated the Minneapolis bridge that plunged into the Mississippi as "structurally deficient" as far back as 1990 and as recently as 2005, citing significant corrosion in its bearings. But state officials opted for patchwork repairs and more inspections rather than a complete overhaul. "We thought we had done all we could," said an engineer. "Obviously, something went terribly wrong." More»

'My car pointed straight down and we fell'

(NEWSER) - The death toll in the catastrophic bridge collapse over the Mississippi River in Minneapolis has hit 7, with other victims fighting for their lives, CNN reports. One bystander says cars were "completely crushed" after suddenly plunging into the river during rush hour Wednesday evening when the 40-year-old bridge gave way. At least 60 people were rushed to hospitals. More»

(NEWSER) - A four-lane bridge over the Mississippi River in Minneapolis collapsed during the evening rush, killing at least 6 people and injuring dozens. Witnesses say there were up to 100 cars on the bridge at the time, and as many as 50 were hurled into the river and onto the banks; rescuers rushed to triage victims and put out massive fires. More»

Feds expected to report inadequate plates

(NEWSER) - The Minneapolis bridge that failed last summer, killing 13 people, had fatal design flaws, the NTSB announced today. Steel gusset plates that held together beams on the eight-lane bridge were half the thickness they should have been, investigators found. While the agency didn't say the gusset plates caused the collapse,16 fractured plates were discovered on the center span, which collapsed during the evening rush hour Aug. 1, AP reports. More»