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The deadliest bridge collapses in recent US history

Richard Wood and CNN

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The deadly collision between a Mexican Navy training ship and New York's famous Brooklyn Bridge is the latest in a number of fatal US bridge collapses through the years.

Some have been caused by structural deficiencies and others in collisions or accidents. Here's a look back at some of them from recent history.

Attribution: AP
Brooklyn Bridge, New York, 2025
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Brooklyn Bridge, New York, 2025

The collision between a Mexican Navy training ship and New York's famous Brooklyn Bridge on Saturday, May 17, killed two sailors and left others dangling from the masts of the vessel waiting for help.

New York authorities said the 142-year-old bridge was spared major damage but at least 19 people aboard the ship needed medical treatment. Investigations into the cause are continuing.

Attribution: AP
 Francis Scott Key Bridge, Baltimore, 2024
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Francis Scott Key Bridge, Baltimore, 2024

The bridge collapsed after a massive cargo ship, the Dali, lost power and veered off course, striking one of its support piers. Six construction workers were killed.

The Key Bridge opened to traffic in 1977, when the ships visiting Baltimore's port were significantly smaller and standards for pier protection were much less robust.

Attribution: AP
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I-40 highway bridge, Oklahoma, 2002
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I-40 highway bridge, Oklahoma, 2002

Fourteen people died when third of the I-40 highway bridge at Webbers Fall fell after a towboat pushed a barge into a support.

Attribution: AP
Big Bayou Canot, Alabama, 1993
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Big Bayou Canot, Alabama, 1993

Part of a train fell off a trestle into a swampy river outside the city of Mobile in Alabama and caught fire. It happened right after a barge hit a railway bridge.

Minutes later, another passenger train hit the bent tracks and plunged into the waters. The disaster left 47 people dead.

Attribution: AP
Schoharie Creek Bridge, New York state, 1987
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Schoharie Creek Bridge, New York state, 1987

Faulty construction was to blame for the collapse of the Schoharie Creek Bridge.

According to the Times-Union, the bridge's pilings were built on the riverbed instead of driven into the bedrock beneath the surface. The tragedy cost 10 people their lives.

Attribution: AP
Cypress Freeway Viaduct, California, 1989
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Cypress Freeway Viaduct, California, 1989

The Cypress Freeway Viaduct was a double-decker freeway structure that connected Interstate 880 to the Bay Bridge approach in Oakland.

The Loma Prieta earthquake caused the upper deck to collapse on to the lower, killing 42 people.

Attribution: Public Domain
Hyatt Regency Hotel, Missouri, 1981
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Hyatt Regency Hotel, Missouri, 1981

The walkways on the second and fourth floor of the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Kansas City collapsed under the weight of guests.

They then both crashed onto a crowded dance floor in the lobby, killing 114 people.

Attribution: AP
Sunshine Skyway Bridge, Florida, 1980
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Sunshine Skyway Bridge, Florida, 1980

When a freighter hit the Sunshine Skyway Bridge across Tampa Bay, buses and cars were thrown about 50 metres into the water below.

The sole survivor was the driver of a pick-up truck, a former US Navy diver, who calmly spent two minutes trapped in his wrecked vehicle on the riverbed before escaping.

Attribution: AP
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