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| Washington bridge collapse |
(Scroll down for video) A bridge across a Washington river collapsed sending cars and people into the water, according to video uploaded to the internet.
The Interstate 5 bridge over the Skagit River at Mount Vernon collapsed Thursday night, dumping vehicles and people in the water shortly after 7:00 pm.
At least one person was pulled from the water, but State Patrol Trooper Mark Francis said it was unclear how many were in the water or the extent of injuries. Photos showed a man sitting on top of his red car waiting to be rescued.
"We heard the terrible noise and I thought, 'What the hell was that?'" Rita Miller, who works at Riverbend RV Park said. She said that "there were only two people alive."
Miller described what she said looked like a mobile home above water.
Miller said a marine rescue team was on site with a helicopter with dozens of lifeguards.
A crowd of about 1,000 people gathered near the bridge.
It was unclear what caused the collapse. Rescue boats from the sheriff's office has arrived and rescuers were looking for people in the water. Crowds of people lined the river to watch the scene unfold, and drivers were told to stay away.
“This is a frightening seen. I was always scared from travelling on bridges precisely for this reason, now, I will definitely stay away from bridges. Hopefully, all the victims will recover quickly,” Nicole Mcgee, 23, from Seattle, Washington told YourJewishNews.com after being asked to comment on the bridge collapse.
The four lane north and south bridge, built in 1955, was used by 70,000 vehicles a day, according to 2010 statistics.
Staff of National Transportation Safety Board were on site Thursday night. The National Weather Service said there was nothing unusual with current river levels.Mobile video not loading? Click here to view