MENDENHALL, Miss. (AP) — Three construction company employees remained hospitalized in critical condition Thursday, a day after a bridge collapsed while they were preparing it for demolition in a rural area of central Mississippi, a sheriff said.

Three people were killed and four were critically injured Wednesday when a bridge in Mississippi that was closed nearly a month ago collapsed while a work crew was prepping it for demolition, authorities said.

The bridge, which spanned the Strong River in Simpson County on State Route 149, collapsed Wednesday, the Mississippi Department of Transportation said.