Aug 10, 4:14 PM EDT
*
Divers Find Another Body at Minn. Bridge*

By PATRICK CONDON
Associated Press Writer

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Divers found another body Friday in the wreckage of
the interstate bridge, bringing the death toll from last week's collapse
to at least eight.

The latest body was found about noon. The pace of recovery has quickened
since Navy divers joined an effort led for most of the first week by
local dive teams.

At least two bodies, and possibly a third, were recovered Thursday.
Authorities were working to identify the most recently recovered remains.

Five people were known dead soon after the Aug. 1 collapse, but eight
more were listed as missing and presumed dead. The only recovered victim
to be identified this week, 47-year-old Peter Hausmann of Rosemount, was
on that list.

As the search operation continued, U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary
Peters said she would make $50 million immediately available to help
Minnesota authorities with the recovery operation and cleanup.

The funds are an advance on $250 million approved by Congress but not
yet appropriated. They come on top of $5 million in emergency federal
aid pledged right after the disaster, and another $5 million to help the
local public transit system handle the loss of the heavily used
Interstate 35W bridge.

"We want to make sure the state has the resources to move forward,"
Peters said at a news conference near the wreckage.

National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Mark Rosenker said
investigators obtained a still photograph of the bridge Thursday from
someone flying overhead before it fell. He said the picture clearly
showed where loads and equipment were located on the bridge and will
help with the analysis of what caused the collapse.

Rosenker said that if investigators identify any "glaring safety gap"
that might apply to other bridges they would alert authorities around
the country to prevent a similar tragedy.

Navy divers went back into the water around sunrise Friday, said Senior
Chief Dave Nagle, spokesman for the dive team. "Since we've been here
for a few days, they've got a good feel for the area - some of the
places where it is pretty challenging to move around," he said.

On Thursday, the body of Hausmann was the first to be recovered. Divers
later found more remains initially thought to have belonged to one
person, but authorities later said they may have belonged to two others.
Authorities were still working Friday to identify them.

"The additional remains appear to probably represent more than one
individual," Medical Examiner Andrew Baker said Thursday night.

Baker said it might become more difficult to positively identify remains
now that they've been in the water more than a week. He said dental
records and DNA evidence would be used if needed.

The list of missing included a pregnant nursing student and her
2-year-old daughter, and another woman and her adult son, who has Down
syndrome.

Nine survivors remained hospitalized Friday. The one remaining victim
who had been in critical condition at Hennepin County Medical Center was
upgraded to serious condition Friday morning, a hospital spokeswoman
said. Eight survivors are still hospitalized at HCMC - five in serious
condition and three in satisfactory condition - while one remained at
the University of Minnesota Medical Center in good condition.

---

Associated Press writer Steve Karnowski contributed to this report.