Deputies find bomb under bridge in rural Franklin County

CATAWISSA, Mo. (AP) -- Franklin County sheriff's deputies disarmed a pipe bomb Monday that was found beneath a highway bridge.

Sheriff Gary Toelke said a local highway department worker found the bomb and reported it to authorities around noon.

The pipe bomb was under a rural highway bridge near the town of Catawissa, about 40 miles southwest of St. Louis.

Authorities blocked bridge traffic while they examined and disarmed the bomb, Toelke said in a statement.

It's not clear how long the bomb was placed under the bridge or why it was put there, Toelke said.

Deputies are investigating the bomb, along with agents from the FBI and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.