Hurricane Ida: 2 dead in Mississippi highway collapse; Louisiana man feared killed by alligator in floodwaters
- Vehicles plunged into a deep hole where a US highway collapsed after Hurricane Ida blew through Mississippi
- In New Orleans, floodwaters have brought the threat of alligators to residents
Two people were killed and at least 10 others injured when their vehicles plunged into a deep hole where a US highway collapsed after Hurricane Ida blew through Mississippi.
Torrential rain may have caused the highway collapse, and the drivers may not have seen that the roadway in front of them had disappeared Monday night, Mississippi Highway Patrol Cp. Cal Robertson said.
“Some of these cars are stacked on top of each other,” he said. Seven vehicles were involved, including a motorcycle. A crane was brought in to lift them out of the hole.
More than eight inches (20cm) of rain fell in the area during Ida, according to the National Weather Service.
Between 3,100 and 5,700 vehicles drive along the stretch of two-lane highway on an average day, according to Mississippi Department of Transportation data.
Hurricane Ida blasted ashore Sunday as a Category 4 storm, one of the most powerful ever to hit the US mainland. It knocked out power to much of southeastern Louisiana and southern Mississippi, blowing roofs off buildings and reversing the flow of the Mississippi River.
In the Louisiana city of New Orleans, Ida has brought danger in the water that is flooding into communities.