Remains Found in Bridge Collapse
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MINNEAPOLIS — Human remains were recovered today from the site of the Mississippi River bridge collapse, the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Department said.
The remains were found at about 2:30 p.m. They were not immediately identified.
Divers had returned to the water looking for five people missing in the collapse of the Interstate 35W bridge, while cranes removed a school bus and other vehicles from the ends of the fallen span.
Navy divers were out of the water overnight after a thunderstorm forced them to quit about two hours early yesterday, a Navy spokesman, Dave Nagle, said. Storms made their task more dangerous over the weekend, strengthening river currents.
The bus was among 44 vehicles hoisted off the bridge over the weekend, out of roughly 100 on the structure when it fell on August 1, a Minnesota Department of Transportation spokesman, Kevin Gutknecht, said. Most vehicles on the bridge’s north end were gone; Mr. Gutknecht said work would focus on the south end for the next day or two.
The yellow school bus became a symbol of a disaster that could have been worse. Everyone on board — 52 children and several adults — escaped alive.
Broken glass remained on a slanted section on the bridge’s north end as pedestrians and cyclists peered through a mesh fence put up to keep them from getting too close.
So far, crews have cleared cars from parts of the bridge that fell onto land. They have equipment positioned to start major debris removal once the recovery is finished.
Divers also recovered three bodies on Thursday and Friday.
The list of confirmed missing included Christine Sacorafas, 45, of White Bear Lake; Vera Peck, 50, and her son Richard Chit, 20, both of Bloomington; Greg Jolstad, 45, of Mora; and Scott Sathers, 29, of Maple Grove.
About 100 people were injured in the collapse, but only eight remained hospitalized, their conditions ranging from serious to good. Hennepin County Medical Center released one patient and upgraded another from serious to satisfactory condition, a spokeswoman said today.
