A body was found from the rubble of the US highway collapse.

A stretch of I-95 was closed in both directions after a gasoline tanker caught fire Sunday, causing the bridge to collapse. Authorities have not said exactly how the fuel caught fire.

A body was found automatically in the My Hiep highway accident, picture 1 — Scene of the highway bridge collapse in the US. Photo: Reuters

A body was found under the rubble and turned over to the Philadelphia Medical Examiner for identification, state police said in a statement.

The tanker driver, Nathaniel Moody, went missing shortly after the crash, ABC affiliate WPVI-TV reported.

Experts and investigators spent hours surveying the damage at the scene. Officials said it will take months to rebuild the collapsed section of road. I-95 runs from Miami to the Canadian border near Maine.

US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said the federal government is working with Pennsylvania to restore the highway. "This will be a major disruption in the region," Mr. Buttigieg said.

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro issued a disaster declaration on Monday, freeing up federal funds to help rebuild a section of the highway, which currently carries 160,000 vehicles daily.

He also urged residents to find alternative routes, take the train or work from home.

Andy Herrmann, a former president of the American Society of Civil Engineers, said bridges were not designed to withstand the heat from tanker fires, which can reach up to 1,090 degrees Celsius (2,500 degrees Fahrenheit), and such incidents were rare.

Trung Kien (according to Reuters)

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