4th, 5th Victims of N.Y. Bridge Collapse Found

Searchers on Friday found the bodies of the fourth and fifth victims of the New York State Thruway bridge collapse, one in a vehicle pinned beneath tons of twisted steel and concrete and another in a car found downstream.

Authorities believe 10 people were killed in Sunday’s collapse.

A car removed downstream from the bridge Friday had carried three employees of the Niagara Mohawk Power Corp., state trooper Edward Dyer said. The body was identified as that of Donald Hughes of Troy, Dyer said.

Earlier, a salvage crew using jackhammers and acetylene torches cleared enough debris to locate a car and found one body inside, said Maj. John Herritage, local commander of the New York State Police.

Unable to Remove Body

The body could not be removed from the crushed auto for identification, he said.

“It has been difficult and dangerous work,” Herritage said. “The river is not yielding.”

The car found downstream was removed from the river, but the crushed car and the body within remained pinned under concrete as salvage operations were suspended for the night, Dyer said.

Operations were expected to resume at daybreak, he said.

The car pinned beneath the wreckage was carrying Mary Lou Peck, 47, and her 22-year-old daughter, Kristen.