Bush visits collapsed bridge

US President George Bush got a firsthand view today of the devastation at the site of the bridge collapse in Minneapolis.

Still criticised for his administration's sluggish response to Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Bush hurried to Minnesota soon after the I-35W bridge buckled on Wednesday. The collapse sent dozens of cars sliding in the Mississippi River, killing at least five people and injuring about 100 others.

Bush flew over the bridge by helicopter. He then was to take a walking tour, receive briefings on recovery efforts and meet with families and some of the victims of the disaster.

"This is a difficult time for the community in Minneapolis, but the people there are decent and resilient, and they will get through these painful hours," Bush said in his weekly radio address, taped on Friday and released before his trip. "As they do, they know that all of America stands with them, and that we will do all we can to help them recover and rebuild."

Divers searching the debris from the collapse faced occasional showers and thunderstorms today.

As rescue efforts continued, Congress sought to direct $250m (€181.35m) to rebuild the bridge. A final vote was needed in the House today, but Congress would have to appropriate the money in future legislation.

Federal transportation officials have announced plans to investigate the agency responsible for inspecting highway bridges.

The inspector general for the Transportation Department said the inquiry would focus on the Federal Highway Administration's inspection program and ways to improve the agency's oversight of more than 70,000 bridges that have been found structurally deficient.

Federal and state officials, meanwhile, are working with the National Transportation Safety Board to understand why the bridge collapsed.

"I don't want to speculate before they get in and complete their work about what the cause was, but clearly this was not something that we expected to happen given the history of this bridge, the inspection process and how this bridge was rated," Transportation Secretary Mary Peters said during the flight with Bush to Minnesota.

She spoke about the need to find better ways in the future to prioritise spending on roads, bridges and other public works.

"We certainly have ageing infrastructure here in the US … but I do believe that American highways and bridges are safe," Peters said. "But certainly we need to look to the future and make sure that we are spending our money where we need to be spending the money."

First lady Laura Bush visited Minneapolis on Friday to survey the wreckage. "Unbelievable," she said as she stood on a hill beside the eight-lane span, which once carried 141,000 vehicles a day.

The government has announced a $5m (€3.62m) grant to help remove tons of debris and redirect traffic from the major artery in and out of Minneapolis. The White House said the president would support the necessary funding to get the span quickly rebuilt.

"This is just the beginning of the financial assistance we will make available to support the state in its recovery efforts," Bush said.