On this day 43 years ago 35 people died when a ship struck the Sunshine Skyway bridge

Today is the 43rd anniversary of the Sunshine Skyway bridge disaster. On this day in 1980 the freighter Summit Venture struck the bridge that joined St. Petersburg and Bradenton during a thunderstorm. A 1,200-foot section of the bridge collapsed, sending several cars and a Greyhound bus into the waters of Tampa Bay. Thirty-five people died. A new bridge opened in 1987 and the approaches to the old span are now fishing piers.

Above are some historic photos from the archives.