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CNN Live Today

Divers Recover Wreckage From Bridge Collapse

Aired May 27, 2002 - 10:02   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KRIS OSBORN, CNN ANCHOR: We begin this morning at the banks of the Arkansas River. Divers are back in the water this morning, searching for the dead among the wreckage.

CNN's Dave Mattingly is live from Webbers Falls, Oklahoma. He is there with the latest -- David.

DAVE MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: (OFF-MIKE) underway in earnest at this hour, divers have spotted and will attempt to raise at least seven vehicles today out of the river. All of these vehicles, we are told, badly damaged -- badly damaged by the 100-foot fall they took yesterday when the I-40 bridge collapsed underneath them. Investigators will attempt to ID the passengers of those vehicles by using the license plates on the backs of those cars.

The strong current of the river has long been a problem for the divers these past 24 hours. They are getting some help today from the Army Corps of Engineers, who will be using the system of locks on the river to temporarily slow the flow. All of the vehicles are clustered close together under water at the edge of the section of bridge that broke off and fell into the river.

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UNIDENTIFIED POLICE OFFICER: We started putting divers back into the water. Last night, they identified a pile of about seven to nine vehicles. This morning, they are going to focus their efforts on those vehicles. They are going to utilize a crane to retrieve the vehicle from the water intact, place it on a barge sitting right next to the collapsed bridge.

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MATTINGLY: Now that's what is going on below the water line. Above the water line, focus at this hour is on the barge crew. They are being interviewed by investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board. Investigators hoping to piece together those critical final moments when the barge struck the bridge, those moments when the captain of the barge was apparently unconscious. We have been told he was unconscious only for a short period of time, but obviously a very ill-timed and very tragic occurrence.

So far, three victims, they have been recovered, their bodies recovered yesterday as the diving operation continues. We expect to have more fatalities to report today, as many as 12, some authorities are predicting. But at this point, those are just guesses. We hope to know for sure by the end of the day exactly how many cars and how many victims have been down there. Kris, back to you.

OSBORN: You know, David, as you were talking, we were looking at the pictures of the various rescue efforts that are under way, a very tragic situation there.

I wanted to ask you, though, do you hear anything more on the pilot or barge operator, Joe Dedmon? There were some initial reports he may have had a seizure. Where is the investigation going on this?

MATTINGLY: Well, that's why they want it talk to the barge crew at this hour. They are trying to get some more details about the captain, his behavior, whatever observations they may have had at the time that he was supposed to be in charge and piloting this vessel. So, we hope to know sometime later today. The NTSB will have a discussion with everybody here, and let us know what their preliminary findings are. So, maybe we will have more information about that later today.

OSBORN: David Mattingly, live on the scene of a very tragic and ongoing rescue. Thank you so much for joining us live this morning.

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