By yesterday, rescuers had pulled out 23 bodies from the wreckage of the collapsed double-deck section of Interstate 880 across the bay in Oakland. In addition, at least 20 others were killed elsewhere in Northern California. About 2000 people were injured, officials said.

Searchers have found 52 cars in the lower section of the freeway, but there may be more still buried in the rubble, California Highway Patrol Sgt. John Silva said. Authorities believe there are fewer than 30 cars remaining buried with bodies inside, he said.

"You see a car that's crushed, a lot of debris, you usually find the people slumped over the steering wheel," said Alameda firefighter Matt Tunney, who spent the night helping remove five bodies.

"I'd thought I'd seen everything. This is devastation, the worst disaster I've ever seen," he said.

No new official estimate of fatalities was made. Oakland police gave estimates of missing people yesterday varying from 97 to 167.

Electricity was restored to about 98 percent of the area, utility employee Greg Pruett said. an armada of boats assembled to ferry commuters across the San Francisco Bay as business got closer to normal. The main lifeline between San Francisco and Oakland, the Bay Bridge, was closed with a 30-foot section collapsed and estimates for its reopening have grown more pessimistic, with some officials saying it could take as long as two months.