Philadelphia Highway Collapses During Rush Hour

(CTN News) Several parts of a busy US highway overpass collapsed under a fire early Sunday morning in Philadelphia, authorities said. Authorities blamed an oil tanker that burst into flames under the bridge for the collapse.

In spite of the collapse of four lanes of traffic along a heavily traveled section of the motorway, there were no immediate reports of injuries, despite the fact that it resulted in the closure of four lanes of traffic.

There were images broadcast on television that showed flames and billowing smoke coming from a collapsed section of elevated Interstate 95 in the northern city’s Philadelphia Tacony neighborhood.

Parts of the elevated road had fallen onto the lanes below.

A spokesperson for the city said that a “large fire under I-95” is responsible for the collapse of the highway, but no vehicle has been linked to the accident as far as the city is aware.

In a statement, she stated that the fire had been declared “under control” and that it had been Philadelphia extinguished.

The fire started around 7:00 am (0300 GMT), during the Sunday morning rush-hour traffic period, when there is usually little traffic on the roads.

A major north-south highway connecting Maine to Florida and major cities along the East Coast, known as the Maine to Florida highway, remained closed both directions in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania area, officials stated, as one of the busiest highways in the country.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that Philadelphia Managing Director Tumar Alexander told a news conference on Wednesday that there would be a long term impact on Interstate 95.

In response to reports that a tanker truck caught fire on the highway, local media reported that the fire spread under the bridge, apparently causing the bridge to collapse.

City authorities issued a series of Twitter alerts about the fire.

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