Bridge collapse in northwest US plunges drivers into icy river
Two drivers in hospital with hypothermia after being pulled from the water beneath bridge on main road from Seattle to Vancouver in Canada
Part of a bridge on an expressway in the US northwest collapsed, throwing cars and their drivers into a freezing river.
Two of the three people rescued from the river were admitted to hospital with hypothermia, said Given Kutz, a spokesman for Skagit County in the northern part of Washington state.
There were apparently no fatalities. "They [rescuers] don't expect anyone else in the water," he said.
Authorities were awaiting confirmation on the cause of the collapse, said a second Skagit County spokesman, Jim Martin.
Local media reported it might have been caused by a truck striking the structure. It was not raining at the time, Washington State Patrol spokesman Trooper Mark Francis said.
The bridge is on the Interstate 5 freeway 90 kilometres north of Seattle. The freeway is the main corridor for traffic between Seattle and Vancouver, Canada.