A bus and several cars plummeted into a ravine as the Forbes Avenue Bridge in Pittsburgh’s Frick Park collapsed at around 6am on Friday.
Pictures from the area show the cracked, snow-covered bridge lying in the Fern Hollow gorge, with emergency services on the scene.
Despite several vehicles being thrown from the bridge as it collapsed, emergency services reported there had been no fatalities, while paramedics reported 10 people had suffered injuries, including one firefighter who was being treated at the scene, Trib live reported.
Rescuers rapelled down 150ft to reach the site and a human chain was formed to help people to safety from a city bus that was crossing the bridge at the time.
Following the collapse, a smell of natural gas had been reported in the area. “When it collapsed it cut the line,” Peoples Gas spokesman Barry Kukovich told the Trib. “We are turning off the gas in the immediate area.”
The collapse of the bridge comes hours before President Joe Biden is set to visit Pittsburgh, known as the City of Bridges, to discuss plans to improve the country’s infrastructure.
Transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg is monitoring the situation and is also set to speak about infrastructure at an event in Kansas later today.
