Divers search for dead in US bridge collapse

MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota (AFP) - Divers returned to the murky waters of the Mississippi river yesterday, facing fiercer currents and chunks of floating concrete in the search for bodies after a highway bridge collapsed.

"Conditions on the river (are) even more treacherous than on Thursday," local Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek told reporters as the second full day of recovery efforts began.

Five people have been confirmed dead and eight are still reported missing from the disaster in this city in the US heartland, with vehicles still submerged in the vast river. Around 80 people were injured.

The nation's First Lady Laura Bush visited the accident site early yesterday for a previously scheduled trip to Minneapolis, but with a revised agenda to incorporate a stop at the disaster scene.

"Over the last 43 hours, the whole country has seen the strength of the Minneapolis-Saint Paul community, and because we have seen that strength, we all are confident that the bridge will be rebuilt and that your city will heal," she said at the scene of the bridge collapse.

After completing her visit, the first lady was scheduled to stop in at a disaster command center and meet with rescue workers.

President George W. Bush, who on Thursday promised aid to rebuild the bridge, is scheduled to visit the accident site Saturday.

It was unclear how far rescuers would get in recovering the bodies believed to be in the Mississippi given the treacherous conditions.

"You've got the current. You've got the debris. It creates ... those man-made whirlpools," Stanek said, adding that chunks of the wrecked giant Interstate 35 road bridge had been reported to be falling off.

"We will be slow and methodical during our search operations."

The conditions have hampered recovery efforts since the accident struck during the Wednesday evening rush hour, sparking anger and debate about the state of the country's aging infrastructure.

Diving teams found a single body on Thursday in a frustrating day of searching in which rescuers could see, but not reach, other bodies trapped in the debris of the fallen bridge east of downtown Minneapolis.

The man was recovered from a car on the part of the bridge which was partially submerged in the river, a law enforcement source told AFP.