7 dead in U.S. bridge collapse

2 Aug, 2007 03:14 / Updated 17 years ago

In the United States, a major bridge over the Mississippi River in Minneapolis has collapsed killing at least seven people. It happened during rush hour on a busy four lane bridge, causing dozens of cars to plunge into the river.

A number of people are in hospital. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security says there's no reason to believe the incident is terrorist related. It's reported that some construction work was taking place on the bridge at the time. The authorities in Minneapolis fear the death count could rise. The rescue operation is underway. Around 140,000 cars pass through the bridge daily. It is believed that about 50 cars were on it at the time it collapsed. It is still unclear where those cars are now. Many of them could be submerged under the water.