A fiery crash on a bridge linking Ohio and Kentucky could force the span to remain closed for days as intense heat from the blaze delayed inspections of the bridge that serves as a crucial link for interstate commerce, Kentucky's governor said Wednesday.
Closure of the Brent Spence Bridge caused detours along a major transportation artery connecting downtown Cincinnati with northern Kentucky across the Ohio River.
“The bridge, at best, will be closed several days," Gov. Andy Beshear said in a virtual briefing. “But we ought to be prepared for more disruption, potentially significantly more disruption, than that.”
Covington Police and Covington Fire work an accident and fire scene on the Brent Spence Bridge Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2020, in Covington, Ky. A fiery crash on a bridge linking Ohio and Kentucky could force the span to remain closed for days as intense heat from the blaze delayed inspections of the bridge that serves as a crucial link for interstate commerce, Kentucky's governor said Wednesday. (Albert CesareThe Cincinnati Enquirer via AP)
The fire was contained, but the extreme heat made the bridge too hot for bridge inspectors, Beshear said. Damage to the bridge and its concrete decking was visible, he said.
The governor warned that a closure lasting several days could be “optimistic."
“We won't have the details until those inspectors are there, but this is a serious accident and it is not outside the realm of possibility that we are looking at weeks," Beshear said.
Covington Police and Covington Fire departments work an accident and fire scene on the Brent Spence Bridge Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2020, in Covington, Ky. A fiery crash on the bridge linking Ohio and Kentucky could force the span to remain closed for days as intense heat from the blaze delayed inspections of the bridge that serves as a crucial link for interstate commerce, Kentucky's governor said Wednesday. Officials say a truck hauling potassium hydroxide and another truck crashed on the northbound deck of the bridge Wednesday morning.(Albert CesareThe Cincinnati Enquirer via AP)
The crash occurred around 2:45 a.m. Wednesday. The governor said the crash appeared to be caused when a northbound truck jackknifed on the bridge and was struck by another truck hauling potassium hydroxide. No injuries were reported.
The crash sparked the fire, with 400 gallons of diesel fuel being the main cause, officials said. An undetermined amount of diesel fuel spilled and burned in the fire. Officials said the potassium hydroxide contributed to the heat and duration of the fire, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported.
The closure of the bridge caused detours for motorists, and Beshear asked for patience as officials deal with the damage. Kentucky and Ohio officials said they're committed to getting the bridge repaired and reopened as quickly as possible.
Covington Police and Covington Fire work an accident and fire scene on the Brent Spence Bridge on Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2020, in Covington, Ky. (Albert CesareThe Cincinnati Enquirer via AP)
Kentucky transportation officials say the bridge carries about 160,000 vehicles a day.
“The Brent Spence Bridge is a vital component of our national highway system," said Jack Marchbanks, director of the Ohio Department of Transportation. “A closure of any length will have a huge impact on the people who live and work in this region."
Ohio and Kentucky officials are working with federal transportation officials “to keep people and goods moving," Marchbanks said.
Officials stressed that safety will be paramount when dealing with the damage.
“We’re going to make sure it’s safe for our personnel to go on to inspect," Beshear said. “But then ... when we reopen it, it’s going to be at a time when I would drive my family across it, so that our citizens can have confidence that it’s safe.”
SYDNEY (AP) — Before the bloodshed and broken hearts, there was a little girl with a gentle soul, a loving grandmother who delivered meals to the needy and a young man dubbed a “golden person” for his kindness. And there was an 87-year-old grandfather who sought solace in Australia after surviving the Holocaust, only to die in what officials have called antisemitic terrorism.
They are among the 15 people killed Sunday evening by two gunmen during a Hanukkah celebration at Sydney’s famous Bondi Beach. Australia’s federal police commissioner said it was a terrorist attack inspired by the Islamic State group.
Here is a closer look at some of the victims:
Matilda, a 10-year-old whose last name has been withheld at the request of her family, was the youngest person killed in the massacre.
Matilda’s language teacher, Irina Goodhew, who launched a GoFundMe for the girl’s grieving family, described her in a Facebook post as a gentle girl who saw beauty in everyone.
“Matilda was a bright and loving soul who taught us that true goodness is found in the love and compassion we share,” Goodhew wrote. “Her memory reminds us to carry kindness in our hearts and spread it to the world. May the light of her eyes live on through us — in our actions, our words, and our love for one another.”
Eli Schlanger, assistant rabbi at Chabad-Lubavitch of Bondi, organized Sunday’s Chanukah by the Sea event. He was a father of five, the youngest of whom was born just two months ago, according to Chabad, an Orthodox Jewish movement that runs outreach worldwide.
The 41-year-old, London-born Schlanger also served as chaplain to the state’s corrective services department and as a chaplain at a Sydney hospital, where he ministered to patients and families.
Schlanger would go wherever he was needed to help people including prisons, said his friend, Ben Wright.
“Eli was a very special person,” Wright told The Associated Press while standing near a cordoned-off section of Bondi the morning after the attack, a black box containing Torah verses strapped to his arm. “He spent a lot of his time trying to get Jews to do one good deed.”
Wright, who saw friends and strangers gunned down during the attack while cradling his 6-month-old baby, said he hopes to emulate Schlanger’s goodness.
Yaakov Levitan, a rabbi and father of four, was known for his kindness and dedication to helping others, according to the Chabad movement, which described him as a “vital, behind-the-scenes pillar” of Sydney’s Jewish community.
Originally from Johannesburg, the 39-year-old served as the general manager of Chabad of Bondi and worked with the Sydney Beth Din, or religious court.
Marika Pogany, an 82-year-old grandmother and community volunteer, delivered thousands of kosher meals to those in need, the Federation of Jewish Communities in Hungary said in a statement.
COA, a Sydney volunteer service for Jewish seniors, said in an Instagram post that Pogany was part of the “beating heart of COA and a source of warmth for thousands of people.”
“For 29 years she arrived at COA with her quiet smile and her steady kindness,” COA wrote. “She lifted the room simply by being in it. She asked for nothing and gave everything.”
Zuzana Čaputová, the former president of Slovakia, called her “Marika” and described Pogany as her “long-term close friend” who had visited Slovakia every year since 1989.
Dan Elkayam, a 27-year-old French national described by his brother as “a golden person,” was a talented soccer player who lived with his girlfriend in Sydney’s eastern suburbs.
Elkayam’s brother, Jérémie Elkayam, told broadcaster France Info that his brother was “someone extraordinary … who profited from life, wasn’t at all materialistic, who understood the value of things and who loved to travel.”
“We are four brothers and, of the four, for me he was the kindest of us,” Jérémie Elkayam said.
Sydney soccer club Rockdale Ilinden FC said in a statement that Elkayam was an extremely talented and popular player with the club’s Premier League team who “will be sorely missed by his teammates and everyone that knew him.”
“Those who were closest to him described him as a down to earth, happy go lucky individual who was warmly embraced by those he met,” club President Dennis Loether said.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot wrote in a post on X that Elkayam’s death was “yet another tragic manifestation of a revolting surge in antisemitic hatred that we must defeat.”
Peter Meagher, known to friends as “Marzo,” was a retired police officer and a team manager and beloved volunteer at Randwick rugby club, which condemned the “abhorrent targeted attack on our Jewish community" in a statement Monday and called Meagher an “absolute legend in our club.”
Meagher was working as a freelance photographer at the Bondi Hanukkah event, the club said, noting his presence was “simply a catastrophic case of being in the wrong place and at the wrong time.”
A photograph with the statement showed “Marzo” written in chalk on a rugby field, along with a team jersey.
Reuven Morrison, 62, was killed while trying to stop one of the shooters, according to his daughter, Sheina Gutnick.
Gutnick told CBS News that her father is the person seen in widely circulated video footage throwing objects at the gunman, which Gutnick said were bricks, after another passerby, Ahmed al Ahmed, wrestled the gun away from the shooter.
“I believe after Ahmed managed to get the gun off the terrorist, my father had then gone to try and unjam the gun, to try and attempt shooting. He was screaming at the terrorist,” she said.
Morrison migrated to Australia from the Soviet Union five decades ago to escape antisemitic persecution. He thought Australia would be safe, Gutnick said.
“This is where he was going to have a family, where he is going to live a life away from persecution,” she said. “And for many years, he did do that; he lived a wonderful, free life. Until Australia turned on him.”
Alex Kleytman was an 87-year-old Holocaust survivor who had moved to Australia from Ukraine.
“I have no husband. I don’t know where is his body,” his wife Larisa Kleytman told reporters outside a Sydney hospital Sunday. “Nobody can give me any answer.”
Larisa told The Australian newspaper that her husband died while protecting her.
“We were standing and suddenly came the ‘boom boom’, and everybody fell down,” she said. “At this moment, he was behind me and at one moment he decided to go close to me. He pushed his body up because he wanted to stay near me.”
The couple survived “the unspeakable terror of the Holocaust” as children before moving to Australia, according to a 2023 report by JewishCare, a service provider for Australia’s Jewish community.
Tibor Weitzen, a 78-year-old grandfather who saw the best in people, migrated to Australia from Israel in 1988, his granddaughter said.
“My grandfather was truly the best you could ask for,” Leor Amzalak told the Australian Broadcasting Corp., the country’s public broadcaster. “He was so proud of us … and loved us more than life itself.”
Panagiotis Pylas in Sydney, John Leicester in Paris, Justin Spike in Budapest, Hungary, and Melanie Lidman in Tel Aviv, Israel, contributed to this report.
British Consul General Louise Cantillon, lays a wreath at a flower memorial for victims of Sunday's shooting at the Bondi Pavilion at Bondi Beach on Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025, in Sydney, Australia. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
People weep and offer flowers at a floral memorial for victims of Sunday's shooting at the Bondi Pavilion at Bondi Beach on Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025, in Sydney, Australia. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
