RELATED STORIES

• Minneapolis bridge collapse bad timing for victims
• Relatives wait for word on missing in Minnesota bridge collapse

More National/World

• Congressman is indicted
• Series of attacks target Green Zone
• Iran is defying U.N., agency says

MOST RECENT TRIB STORIES

• ABQTrib.com to remain available
  08:48 a.m., February 25, 2008
• Congressman is indicted
  08:37 a.m., February 23, 2008
• Series of attacks target Green Zone
  08:36 a.m., February 23, 2008
• Iran is defying U.N., agency says
  08:35 a.m., February 23, 2008
• Waterboarding approval probed
  08:34 a.m., February 23, 2008

TRIB IN THE BLOGOSPHERE*

• Ty Murray Invitational thrills fans in Albuquerque
• Is Rome Burning?
• Ominous Skies
• The Road to Invalidation
• Albuquerque company participates in “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition”

*Note: The Tribune does not create and is not responsible for the blogosphere's headlines and stories. These links to blogs talking about ABQTrib.com are automatically generated. Use them at your own risk.

STORY TOOLS

• E-mail story
• Comments
• iPod friendly
• Printer friendly

SHARE THIS STORY [?]

WASHINGTON — Divers searched the Mississippi River on Aug. 2 for more bodies entombed in cars trapped beneath the twisted steel and concrete slabs of a collapsed bridge.

As many as 30 people were missing as the rescue effort shifted to recovery.

The official death count stood at four, but Police Chief Tim Dolan said more victims were still in the water.

Under water, divers were taking down license plate numbers for authorities to track down their drivers. Getting the vehicles out was expected to take days and involve moving around very large, heavy pieces of bridge.

"The bridge is still shifting," Dolan said. "We're dealing with the Mississippi River. We're dealing with currents. We're going to have to do it slowly and safely."

He said police estimate that 20 to 30 people were unaccounted for, though he stressed that it was just an estimate.

Fire Chief Jim Clack said on Aug. 2 that emergency work was no longer a rescue operation. "It's a recovery operation," he said.

The Homeland Security Department said the collapse did not appear to be terrorism-related, but Hennepin County Sheriff Richard Stanek said on Aug. 2 that the cause of the collapse was still unknown.

This week, road crews had been working on the bridge's joints, guardrails and lights, with lane closures overnight on July 31 and Aug. 1.

Meanwhile, federal officials and Minnesota lawmakers said they will travel to the Twin Cities on Aug. 2 to begin investigating the collapse of the bridge into the Mississippi River.

The National Transportation Safety Board will be sending a team of investigators, NTSB spokesman Ted Lopatkiewicz said. The team will be accompanied by the chairman of the NTSB, Mark Rosenker, Lopatkiewicz said.

At the same time, Transportation Secretary Mary Peters was flying to the Twin Cities on Aug. 2 along with the state's two U.S. senators, Republican Norm Coleman and Democrat Amy Klobuchar.

"The DOT role is to provide technical support and financial assistance," said department spokesman Brian Turmail.

While the focus has to be on emergency response, Coleman said, authorities will have to also set up a transportation system.

"Down the road, they will be doing full a forensic analysis to see what caused this," Coleman said.

The Homeland Security Department had received no indications the collapse was related to terrorism, said spokesman Russ Knocke.