Minneapolis Bridge Collapses

Updated from 10:04 p.m. EDT

A four-lane bridge in downtown Minneapolis collapsed into the Mississippi River during the evening rush hour Wednesday, killing at least seven people and injuring more than 50, according to news reports.

An estimated 50 vehicles and slabs of concrete tumbled into the water and onto the river banks below, according to the Star Tribune of Minneapolis.

The Interstate 35W bridge crumpled about 6:05 p.m. CDT, said Kristi Rollwagen, a spokeswoman for the Minneapolis department of emergency preparedness, CNN reported on its Web site. There were 50 to 100 cars on the bridge at the time, according to early estimates.

Workers had been repairing the 40-year-old bridge's surface as part of improvements on the interstate, the paper said.

The Minneapolis Police Department said it was "not clear at this point what caused the collapse," reports said.

Minnesota news Web sites and TV stations said many of the vehicles on the bridge were en route to the Minnesota Twins baseball game.

Rescue workers were searching for people who could have been trapped in cars both on the bridge and in the river, the Star Tribune said.