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At least seven people died and more than 60 were injured when a freeway bridge in the US broke into huge sections and collapsed into the Mississippi River.
It happened during evening rush hour, sending vehicles and tons of concrete and twisted metal crashing into the water.
The Interstate 35W bridge, a major link between Minneapolis and St Paul, was in the midst of being repaired when it collapsed.
"There were two lanes of traffic, bumper to bumper, at the point of the collapse. Those cars did go into the river," said Amelia Huffman of the Minneapolis Police.
"At this point there is nothing to suggest that this was anything other than a structural collapse."
Jamie Winegar said she was sitting in traffic when she suddenly started hearing "boom, boom, boom and we were just dropping, dropping, dropping, dropping".
The car she was travelling in landed on top of a smaller car but did not fall into the water. She said her nephew yelled: "It's an earthquake!"
Then she realised the bridge was collapsing.
The arched bridge, which was built in 1967, rises about 64ft above the river. An estimated 50 vehicles plunged into the water and on to the land below.
A burning truck and a school bus clung to one slanted slab. The bus had just crossed the bridge before it crumpled into pieces, and reports indicated the children on the bus were able to escape out of the back door.
Homeland Security Department spokesman Russ Knocke said the collapse did not appear to be terrorism-related
It happened during evening rush hour, sending vehicles and tons of concrete and twisted metal crashing into the water.
The Interstate 35W bridge, a major link between Minneapolis and St Paul, was in the midst of being repaired when it collapsed.
"There were two lanes of traffic, bumper to bumper, at the point of the collapse. Those cars did go into the river," said Amelia Huffman of the Minneapolis Police.
"At this point there is nothing to suggest that this was anything other than a structural collapse."
Jamie Winegar said she was sitting in traffic when she suddenly started hearing "boom, boom, boom and we were just dropping, dropping, dropping, dropping".
The car she was travelling in landed on top of a smaller car but did not fall into the water. She said her nephew yelled: "It's an earthquake!"
Then she realised the bridge was collapsing.
The arched bridge, which was built in 1967, rises about 64ft above the river. An estimated 50 vehicles plunged into the water and on to the land below.
A burning truck and a school bus clung to one slanted slab. The bus had just crossed the bridge before it crumpled into pieces, and reports indicated the children on the bus were able to escape out of the back door.
Homeland Security Department spokesman Russ Knocke said the collapse did not appear to be terrorism-related
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