6th Body Found in Minn. Bridge Wreckage
Pastor Dale Morgan
6th Body Found in Minn. Bridge Wreckage *
Aug 9 02:02 PM US/Eastern
By PATRICK CONDON
Associated Press Writer
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Searchers found the body of a sixth victim Thursday
in the wreckage of the city's collapsed interstate bridge, authorities said.
The Hennepin County Sheriff's Office said the body was found shortly
after noon. Five other bodies were recovered earlier, and crews have
been searching in and around the Mississippi River for the past week for
eight people reported missing since the Aug. 1 collapse.
The latest victim wasn't immediately identified.
As the recovery operation continued, so did the investigation. On
Wednesday, investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board
said they had found design flaws in gusset plates, which helped tie the
bridge's steel beams together.
J. Richard Capka, administrator of the Federal Highway Administration,
said the agency would quickly advise transportation agencies around the
country of steps they should take if a systematic problem with gusset
plates is found. He said no such advisory was in the works yet.
"Gusset plates have been around a long time, and they've been a reliable
feature, and we have no indication that they've ever been part of a
suspect bridge problem or a bridge failure before," Capka said Thursday.
"They have not concluded that they've discovered anything specific that
might have contributed to the collapse," he added.
The list of people confirmed missing and feared dead in the bridge
collapse include a woman and her young daughter. The eight have been
identified as Christine Sacorafas, 45, of White Bear Lake; Vera Peck,
50, and her son Richard Chit, 20, both of Bloomington; Greg Jolstad, 45,
of Mora; Peter Hausmann, 47, of Rosemount; Sadiya Sahal, 23, of St.
Paul, and her 2-year-old daughter, Hanah; and Scott Sathers, 29, of
Maple Grove.