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The bridge over the Strong River on State Route 149 in Simpson
County, about 40 miles (64 kilometers) south of Jackson, had
been closed to traffic since Sept. 18 as part of a bridge
replacement project, the Mississippi Department of
Transportation said in a news release.
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 WLBT-TV three people
were killed and four critically injured.
Terry Tutor, the Simpson County coroner, told the New York Times
that seven men were working on the bridge, using heavy machinery
to tear it down, when it gave way and plummeted nearly 40 feet
(12 meters). He said three of the men died, and four were
injured, the Times reported.
Mullins and Tutor didn't immediately respond to messages
Wednesday night from The Associated Press.
A call to the construction company, T.L. Wallace Construction,
was unanswered Wednesday evening, and it was not possible to
leave a message.
Department of Transportation spokesperson Anna Ehrgott said the
agency “would share more information with the public as it
becomes available.”
The department said one of its inspectors was at the work site
when the bridge collapsed, and that person was unharmed.
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