10 injured in collapse of aging Pittsburgh bridge hours before Biden's infrastructure visit

• Early on Friday, a bridge collapsed in Pittsburgh, which authorities said also severed a gas line.
• Photos showed cars and a city bus amid the wreckage. Ten people had minor injuries, the mayor said.

An aging bridge in Pittsburgh that was listed by officials as being in poor condition collapsed early Friday, causing several injuries, damaging vehicles, and cutting a nearby gas line.

The bridge, located on Forbes Avenue in Frick Park, came crashing down at around 6:40 a.m. — hours before President Joe Biden was scheduled to visit the city. The bridge's span was roughly 450-feet-long, had a steel structure, and was constructed in 1970, according to state records.

Miraculously, there were no fatalities, but there were 10 minor injuries as a result of the collapse, including three people who were taken to the hospital, said Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey.

In a dramatic rescue operation, emergency responders at the site of the collapse rappelled down at least 100 feet and formed a human chain to save people from the disaster, said Darryl Jones, the city's fire chief.

Five vehicles and one Port Authority bus were on the bridge at the time of the collapse, according to Pittsburgh Public Safety.

The collapse, which occurred as snow fell in the city on Friday morning, triggered a "massive gas leak" that was now under control, Jones said.

A photo published by KDKA, a local CBS news station, showed at least six vehicles in the rubble of the bridge before dawn. Other photos showed a commuter bus on a section of the collapsed bridge.

Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman called the bridge collapse unreal Friday during an interview with CNN.

"It's just surreal to see a bridge you've driven over countless times go down," said Fetterman, who called the bridge a "vital artery" in the city.

"Thankfully, schools were on a two-hour delay for weather, so the traffic was less than it would have been normally on a normal day," he said.

Pennsylvania's Department of Transportation listed the bridge as being in poor condition. Public records show that the agency graded the road deck and upper part of the structure a 4 out of a possible 10 and the lower part at 6 out of 10, but does not indicate when it was last inspected.

Biden's administration also warned earlier this month that 3,300 bridges in the state needed repair.

A December 2018 photo posted to Twitter that resurfaced after the collapse showed part of the steel structure badly rusted and seemingly supported by metal cable instead.

The bridge collapsed hours before Biden was previously set to speak in Pittsburgh to discuss his recently passed $1 trillion infrastructure bill, which included $1.6 billion from the federal government to improve Pennsylvania's bridges.

"At the end of the day we could have had some serious injuries," Gainey said. "At the end of the day this is critical that we get this funding, and we are glad to have the president coming today."

Meanwhile, Biden visited the site of the collapse Friday afternoon.

"It's incredible," the president said as he gazed out at the mangled bridge.

"I didn't realize there are literally more bridges in Pittsburgh than any other city in the world," said Biden, adding, "We're going to fix them all."

Biden spoke with Gainey, first responders, and other officials at the scene of the collapse.

"The idea that we've been so far behind on infrastructure for so many years — it's mind-boggling," said Biden.