Update: Four dead in US bridge collapse

Authorities lowered the death toll from an interstate bridge collapse to four today, but warned the final number could change as divers search the Mississippi River.

Police Lt Amelia Huffman said: “This morning, the medical examiner’s office only has four sets of remains.”

Initial reports of seven people killed were based on the best estimates authorities had last night, she said.

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 during evening rush hour yesterday.

Emergency crews planned to resume their cleanup and recovery work this morning.

More than 20 families gathered in a hotel ballroom in the early morning hours Thursday, waiting for word on loved ones who could not be located.

Road crews were working on the bridge’s joints, guard-rails and lights this week, with lane closures overnight on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Aerial shots from local television stations showed the entire span of Interstate 35W had crumpled into the river below. Some injured people were carried up the riverbank, while emergency workers tended to others on the ground and some jumped into the water to look for survivors. Fire and black smoke rose from the wreckage.