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CNN Live Today

Recovery Teams Return to Murky Waters of Arkansas River Today

Aired May 29, 2002 - 10:21   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.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Recovery teams return to the murky waters of the Arkansas River today, looking for more victims from Sunday's bridge collapse.

So far, 13 bodies have been removed from the tangle of submerged vehicles.

CNN's David Mattingly is in Webbers Falls, Oklahoma with more on that.

Hi there, David.

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fredricka.

As you said, 13 confirmed dead, and divers back in the water today resuming their search for victims and vehicles at the bottom of the Arkansas River. In particular, they want it find the missing 3- year-old girl who was traveling with her parents on Sunday. The bodies of her parents were found Monday. The family was traveling from Arkansas to Tulsa, Oklahoma at the time of the bridge collapse.

Now we have a photograph we would like to show you this morning, this coming to us from the associated press. Now what you are looking at is a collection of recovered wreckage that's sitting now on the banks of the river.

Pay particular attention to the condition of the vehicles in that picture. That will give you some idea of the destructive forces that were in play in this disaster.

Now, all along, officials have been worried that victims like the 3-year-old may have been thrown from the wreckage and could now be somewhere downstream. This adding to the list of frustrations that continues to grow for the divers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is unbelievable how much rebar and cement is underneath that water. Getting to the vehicle, of course, we have to coordinate the cranes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Zero visibility. First of all, you can't see anything you are doing. It's basically a real technical-type diving situation, where there is so much debris in the water. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is all touchy-feely. You can't see in front of your face, but you feel. It is dangerous, with all of the twisted metal and the concrete.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MATTINGLY: Tragically, the Arkansas parents and their daughter were just two miles away from the exit they would have taken off of I- 40 as they were travelling to Tulsa, Oklahoma. Their story just one of many now emerging as officials continue to identify the victims. This includes the Army soldier who was on a cross-country road trip at the time, the Oklahoma couple who were on their way to a family reunion, and two women from Texas, who at the time they were crossing the bridge, were hauling a trailer loaded with horses. And the list goes on, Fredricka.

So far, nine of the 13 dead have been identified.

WHITFIELD: And, David, what about those patients that are in recovery, including the captain of the tugboat that was pushing the barges.

MATTINGLY: Most of the people have done very well, and at this point, at least report, there was still just one person still left in the hospital. The condition of the captain was not discussed with us yesterday. We hope to find out more about that today, as well as investigators possibly from the NTSB hopefully telling us more today about what they've learned from the captain himself.

WHITFIELD: Right, perhaps learning more as to whether he did indeed have a seizure, and if so, what caused that.

Thank you very much, David Mattingly, coming from Webbers Falls, Oklahoma.

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