20 hours Ago By USA TODAY
Three people were killed and four were seriously injured when a bridge in Mississippi targeted for demolition collapsed Wednesday afternoon, authorities said. The bridge, located about 40 miles south of Jackson on State Route 149 over the Strong River in Simpson County, had been closed for nearly a month so crews could demolish it, the Mississippi Department of Transportation . The bridge collapsed prematurely in what the department described as a "work site accident.
" "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 its statement. The bridge has been closed to traffic since Sept. 18 as part of a bridge replacement project and a contractor was in the process of demolishing it before the collapse, the department of transportation said.
Gov. Tate Reeves confirmed late Wednesday on social media that three workers were killed. "We have confirmed multiple injuries and at least three fatalities from the accident.
As the situation develops, authorities will provide more information while respecting the privacy of the bereaved," Reeves said in . "Please keep the families and coworkers of everyone involved in your prayers." First responders from Simpson SO, Simpson EMA, MEMA, and other state assets have been on the scene at the tragedy that.
.. Posted by on Terry Tutor, the Simpson County coroner, that seven men were using heavy machinery on the bridge to tear it down when it gave way and plummeted nearly 40 feet.
He confirmed to the Times that three of the men died and four were injured. Simpson County Sheriff Paul Mullins told , an NBC affiliate station in Jackson, that the four people who were injured were in critical condition. Mullins and Tutor did not immediately return messages left Thursday morning by USA TODAY.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg that he was briefed on the "premature collapse.
" In his post, Buttigieg said the Federal Highway Administration was “engaging state officials concerning” the fatal accident. "Our thoughts are with the workers who were injured and lost their lives, and with their families," Buttigieg said. An inspector with the state's department of transportation was on site during the collapse and was unharmed, the department said.
It was unclear as of Thursday morning what had caused the collapse..
