Elevated section of highway collapses in Philadelphia

The elevated section of Interstate 95 collapsed after a vehicle caught fire. Pic/AP

An elevated section of Interstate 95 collapsed early on Sunday in Philadelphia after a tanker truck carrying flammable cargo caught fire, closing a heavily traveled segment of the East Coast's main north-south highway indefinitely.

Transportation officials warned of extensive delays and street closures and urged drivers to avoid the area in the city's northeast corner. Officials said the tanker contained a petroleum product that may have been hundreds of gallons of gasoline. The fire took about an hour to get under control.

The northbound lanes of I-95 were gone and the southbound lanes were "compromised" a Philadelphia Fire Department official said. Runoff from the fire or perhaps broken gas lines caused explosions underground, he added. The crash happened around 6.15 am and the northbound section above the fire collapsed soon after.

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