Multiple people killed and injured in Mississippi bridge collapse
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MISSISSIPPI - Multiple people were killed and several were critically injured after a bridge in Mississippi that was being demolished collapsed on Oct 16, the authorities said.
The bridge, on State Route 149 over the Strong River in Simpson County, “collapsed this afternoon in a work site accident”, according to the Mississippi Department of Transportation.
“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 said in a statement.
Although the statement did not say how many people had been killed, Sheriff Paul Mullins of Simpson County told WLBT, an NBC affiliate station in Jackson, Mississippi, that three people had been killed and four people were in critical condition. The sheriff’s department did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Oct 16.
It was unclear on the evening of Oct 16 what had caused the collapse. A spokesperson for the Mississippi Department of Transportation declined to answer additional questions, but said the agency would share more information when it became available.
According to the department, the bridge had been closed to traffic since Sept 18 as part of a bridge replacement project. The contractor was in the process of demolishing the bridge when it gave way, the agency said.
Mr Terry Tutor, the Simpson County coroner, was on the scene, a representative with the coroner’s office said. Mr Tutor did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
An inspector with the transportation department was at the worksite when the bridge collapsed but was unharmed, the department said.
Simpson County, in south-central Mississippi, has a population of about 26,000 people, according to census data. NYTIMES
