A tragic scene unfolded today at Florida International University.
Around 1:30 p.m. EST, a newly erected pedestrian bridge suddenly collapsed trapping several cars underneath.
Fire Chief Dave Downey of Miami-Dade Fire Rescue confirmed at a news conference streamed live on Twitter, that there are four confirmed fatalities, with at least nine people in hospital.
Pic taken seconds after the FIU bridge collapse. pic.twitter.com/b9Zqw5pEZQ
— Jason Martinez (@10NewsJason) March 15, 2018
First responders are continuing to search for more victims. Officials said the bridge has to be removed piece by piece because of its instability.
The bridge stretched along FIU’s campus and was not yet open to pedestrians after being lifted into place on Saturday.
FIU released a statement saying that it was “shocked and saddened about the tragic events unfolding”.
#MDFRUpdate: MDFR #FLTF1 search dogs working #FIUBridgeCollapse. pic.twitter.com/ZI49PCkPDm
— MDFR (@MiamiDadeFire) March 15, 2018
Munilla Construction Management, which built the bridge, also released a statement on Facebook that described its staff as “devastated” by the catastrophe.
The university had previously said that the bridge was designed to withstand a Category 5 hurricane and last for at least 100 years.
NowMedia will update this story as more information becomes available.
