WASHINGTON, June 13, 2023 (AFP) – A body was recovered from the debris of a collapsed overpass on one of the busiest highways in the United States, authorities said Monday, after a tanker crossing underneath burst into flames.
On Sunday the vehicle carrying gasoline crashed and caught fire in northeast Philadelphia on Interstate 95, a major artery connecting large cities along the US East Coast.
Parts of an elevated roadway fell onto lanes below, with television images showing flames and billowing smoke coming from a crumbled section of the street.
“The Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) has confirmed that body was recovered from the wreckage (and) has been turned over to the Philadelphia County Medical Examiner and Coroner,” said an update from the state’s Department of Transportation.
“Authorities are in the process of identifying the remains,” it added.
With roughly 160,000 vehicles per day passing through that section of I-95, according to the state’s transportation secretary, the damage was already causing traffic delays Monday as the summer holiday season begins.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro has predicted it will take months to fully restore the “critical artery.”
As of Monday evening, I-95 was still closed in both directions in the area, the state transportation department update said.
While workers cleared debris, commuter trains were delayed, highway entry and exit ramps were blocked up and travel times were increasing, The New York Times reported.
The truck had “landed on its side” and the crash ignited the fire, Pennsylvania Department of Transportation Secretary Mike Carroll said, according to CNN.
The tanker was carrying 8,500 gallons of gasoline, the media outlet reported, citing state police.
Shapiro on Monday issued a disaster declaration to help free up federal funds for the repairs.
“Crews are working around the clock to ensure that demolition and reconstruction occurs quickly and efficiently, and that I-95 will reopen as soon as possible,” Shapiro said on Twitter.
“Demolition has already begun, and is expected to be completed in a few days.”
Local media reported Sunday that Philadelphia police and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were looking for the driver of the tanker, who has not been identified by authorities.