Three people have died and four were seriously injured after a bridge set to be demolished in Mississippi collapsed on Wednesday, according to authorities.
The Mississippi Department of Transportation (DOT) said the bridge was located on State Route 149 over the Strong River in Simpson County.
It collapsed in the afternoon in what the agency described as a “work site accident.”
The bridge had been closed to traffic since Sept. 18 as part of a bridge replacement project and the contractor had been in the process of demolishing it, the department said in a statement.
DOT acknowledged there had been fatalities as a result of the collapsed bridge but the department stopped short of specifying exactly how many people had died.
The department also did not comment on the exact number of people who suffered injuries following the incident.
The Epoch Times contacted the sheriff’s department for comment.
Gov. Tate Reeves said in a post on social media late Wednesday that first responders from the county and “other state assets have been on the scene at the tragedy” where they’d confirmed at least three fatalities and multiple injuries.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a social media post late Wednesday that the Federal Highway Administration was “engaging state officials concerning” the “premature collapse during demolition of a bridge on State Route 149 in Mississippi.”
Simpson County Sheriff Paul Mullins told NBC affiliate station WLBT that three people had been killed and four people were in critical condition.
In a later update, officials said an inspector with the Mississippi Department of Transportation who was at the Strong River bridge site when it collapsed was unharmed.
“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.
The Epoch Times contacted a spokesperson for the Mississippi Department of Transportation for further comment.
In late September, the Mississippi DOT had said the Strong River bridge would be inaccessible for around 12 to 18 months during the bridge replacement project.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
From The Epoch TImes