Police release official list of 8 missing after bridge collapse

? Divers spent a third fruitless day searching for victims of a deadly bridge collapse, finding no bodies inside a crushed car pulled earlier Saturday from the murky Mississippi River waters.

Authorities said they had been unable to check at least one other car lying beneath another vehicle on the river bottom. They planned to return to work Sunday with sonar equipment to scan areas upriver and downriver.

An examination of a car lifted onto a barge Saturday “did not find anything in the vehicle in terms of victims or human remains,” said Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek.

Police also released an official list Saturday of the eight people reported missing, matching estimates that had been lowered from the hours immediately after the collapse. The official death toll is five.

In releasing the list, police cautioned that the number could still rise, saying it’s possible some victims have not been reported missing.

Investigators have names that haven’t been connected to the bridge, and divers and recovery workers have found license plate numbers that don’t belong to an identified missing person or survivor, authorities said.

Under police escort, families of the missing were bused Saturday from a Red Cross center to the disaster site. When the doors opened, about 40 people streamed out and went straight to the edge, a few with arms wrapped around each other’s shoulders.

Most appeared silent, while a few pointed at the collapsed bridge. After no more than 10 minutes, they reboarded the buses, some hugging as they left to return to the temporary Red Cross center.

The Associated Press earlier identified five of the missing, who all appeared on the police list: Christine Sacorafas, 45, a recent transplant to Minnesota who was on her way to teach a Greek folk dancing class; Greg Jolstad, 45, a construction worker who was operating a skid loader on the bridge; Peter Hausmann, 47, a former missionary heading to pick up a friend; and Somali immigrant Sadiya Sahal, 23, a pregnant nursing student traveling with her 2-year-old daughter, Hanah.

The police list also included Vera Peck and her 21-year-old son, Richard Chit, who were in the same car, and Scott Sathers.

Of the roughly 100 injured, 24 remained hospitalized Saturday, five in critical condition.

State transportation officials set an ambitious timetable for rebuilding the bridge, announcing Saturday they hoped to award a contract in September and have the project completed by the end of 2008 – about 15 months.

The U.S. House late Saturday approved $250 million in funds to help repair the bridge; the Senate had approved the amount Friday. Congress still would have to appropriate the money in future legislation.

A memorial service with songs and prayers for the victims was set for 7 p.m. today. Gov. Tim Pawlenty and Mayor R.T. Rybak encouraged Minnesotans to attend and honor the families and first responders.