Minnesota Senators Norm Coleman and Amy Klobuchar released a joint statement tonight on the tragic I-35 bridge collapse over the Mississippi River in Minneapolis that occurred on Wednesday evening.
Minnesota Senators Norm Coleman and Amy Klobuchar send their thoughts and prayers to the people of Minnesota, and pledge the full support of the federal government in the wake of tonight's tragic bridge collapse in Minneapolis, MN. Senators Coleman and Klobuchar have been in constant contact with Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters, and will travel to Minneapolis with the Secretary in the morning to survey the damage and recovery efforts. They have pledged to ensure every available federal resource makes its way to Minnesota immediately, and to help the Minnesota Department of Transportation move forward.
"In light of today's disaster, we send our thoughts and prayers to the victims and their families. This is a tragic day for the state, and must first focus on rescue and recovery. The people of Minnesota should know we will devote the full resources of the government in any way possible," said Coleman. "The Secretary of Transportation assured me that a thorough and complete forensic investigation will be conducted, which I hope will produce a definitive answer as to why this unbelievable disaster has occurred. We must ensure that a catastrophe like the one that happened today never occurs again."
"This tragedy hits so close to home—in fact, within a mile of my family's home," said Klobuchar, a former Hennepin County Attorney and long-time Minneapolis resident. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the many people affected by this evening's shocking bridge collapse. Most importantly, we are grateful to the many first responders who have moved so quickly to help the victims of this unfortunate accident," said Klobuchar. "On behalf of the entire Minnesota delegation, we are committed to working together to bring all available federal resources to bear in the wake of this tragedy."
Fifth district Rep. Keith Ellison (DFL) addressed the U.S. House tonight on the incident and stated in part:
"I rise tonight with every member of that Minneapolis delegation. We stand united in our heartfelt concern over the news of the collapse of the 35-W bridge spanning the Mississippi River in my hometown of Minneapolis which occurred earlier this evening. I've spoken with Mayor Rybak regarding this tragic situation and I pledge to work with him in every possible way to recover from this disaster. ... I intend to return home tomorrow morning to Minneapolis on the earliest possible flight to do everything I can to help the citizens of my city recover from this tragedy."
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