I wish there was some other reason my home state of Minnesota is making national news tonight. Such a tragedy and honestly can't take my mind off of it...especially because myself, friends and family travel this bridge daily.  

For those of you with loved ones injured in this tragedy this evening...our hearts and prayers go out to you all.  For the life safety and rescue personnel...we can't thank you enough for putting yourselves in harms way to help save the lives of others. 

At the time of this posting, there have been 6 people reportedly killed by this event. Let's pray there are no more...and that our prayers help those who have lost loved thru the healing process.  

Wednesday August 1, 2007 CityNews.ca Staff

An unthinkable tragedy has hit a U.S. Midwestern state. Authorities in Minneapolis struggled to rescue dozens of commuters, after the I-35W Bridge collapsed in the city, sending an untold number of cars plunging into the water below. It happened over the Mississippi River and there was no apparent advance notice that anything was wrong.  So far, authorities reveal that six people have died, and up to 28 more are injured.

The disaster took place just after 6pm Minnesota time, and pictures from the scene show some people stranded on the broken span while others are struggling to stay alive in the river. Rescue crews are reaching as many as possible and carrying them to the riverbank. But no one's sure just how many have been affected or what caused the incident. 

To complicate matters, a tractor trailer on the span at the time caught fire, sending thick black smoke into the sky and leaving a trail of fire on the collapsed structure.

The bridge carries at least 140,000 cars a day and has eight lanes of traffic. It first opened in November 1967. It was built with a 458 foot steel arch that was made to prevent steel piers from being put in the water that might stop boats from getting through.