3 dead, 4 in critical condition after bridge collapses during demolition

SIMPSON COUNTY, Miss. (WLBT/Gray News) – Three people have died and four are in critical condition after a bridge collapsed in Mississippi.

According to the Mississippi Department of Transportation, a bridge over the Strong River on Highway 149 collapsed Wednesday afternoon in what was described as an “industrial accident.”

The bridge has been closed to traffic since September 18 as part of a bridge replacement project.

According to MDOT, TL Wallace, the project’s contractor, was in the process of demolishing the bridge.

Simpson County Sheriff Paul Mullins told WLBT he received a call around 2:51 p.m. Wednesday afternoon saying a bridge had collapsed right by the D’Lo Water Park.

When he got there, the workers had explained that they had had a bridge failure and that the bridge had collapsed.

He found a broken device and the bridge to the river.

One of the three victims was still stuck under rubble in the rumble but was pulled out at 8:45 p.m

The sheriff confirmed they were all employees of TL Wallace Construction.

The identities of the workers have not yet been released.

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