Three people are dead and four are critically injured after a bridge collapsed in Mississippi Wednesday afternoon.
According to the Mississippi Department of Transportation, the bridge over Strong River on Highway 149 collapsed in a ‘work-site accident’ while a contractor was in the process of demolishing it for a bridge replacement project.
‘Sadly, there were fatalities as a result of the accident, and we extend our deepest condolences to the families who have lost loved ones,’ the department posted on X.
Terry Tutor, the Simpson County coroner, later told the New York Times that the seven men were working on the bridge, using heavy machinery to tear it down, when it suddenly gave way and plummeted 40 feet.
He said that as of 7.30pm, emergency crews were able to recover the remains of two of the victims, and were working to recover the third.
Late Wednesday, Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves announced on social media that first responders from the county and ‘other state assets have been on the scene at the tragedy.’
The exact cause of the bridge collapse remains unclear at this time, and US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said the Federal Highway Administration was ‘engaging state officials’ about the ‘premature collapse during demolition of a bridge on State Route 149 in Mississippi.’
The has been closed off to traffic since September 18.
