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At least four dead in Miami college pedestrian bridge collapse

Pedestrian bridge collapses in Miami onto traffic; injuries unknown
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A pedestrian bridge at Florida International University in Miami collapsed onto the roadway. (Source: WPLG/CNN)
Pedestrian bridge collapses in Miami onto traffic; injuries unknown
Pedestrian bridge collapses in Miami onto traffic; injuries unknown
Posted at 9:00 PM, Mar 15, 2018
and last updated 2018-03-16 16:17:25-04

(RNN) - At least four people died Thursday when a 950-ton pedestrian bridge collapsed on a major roadway running through the campus of Florida International University in Miami.

The bridge, which opened just days before, fell onto eight cars at the busy intersection of SW Eighth Street and 109th Avenue at about 1:30 p.m. ET.

At an evening press conference, Dave Downey, the fire chief of Miami-Dade County, said nine people were removed from the rubble and transported to hospitals. Four were deceased he said. The amount injured is unclear, but 10 people are being treated at Kendall Regional Medical Center.

Miami-Dade Fire continues to conducting a search and rescue operation hours later, and is using rescue dogs, cranes and other urban rescue tactics. A police source told the Miami Herald a woman was rescued from the rubble alive around 7 p.m. The Herald also reported a baby was discovered under the bridge, and its condition was unknown. 

According to Dr. Mark McKinney at Kendall Regional Medical Center, of the 10 patients they are treating, one arrived in cardiac arrest, but his heart was restarted and he’s in critical condition with head and chest injuries. Another patient arrived in a coma with severe extremity injuries and also is in critical condition.

"Eight other patients were admitted to the hospital with their traumatic injuries but are in stable condition. Variety of injuries with eight patients, everything from bruises and abrasions albeit of broken bones. But they're all in stable condition and no severe brain injuries," McKinney said.

The National Transportation and Safety Board announced they are sending a 15-member investigative team to the site, including engineers, Chairman Robert Sumwalt said. 

FIU President Mark Rosenberg said he believed stress tests were done on the bridge on Thursday prior to the collapse. Those tests, he said, "did not prove to lead anyone to the conclusion that we would have this kind of result." 

The bridge was supposed to make life safer for students at FIU, taking them over the busy intersection. An FIU undergraduate student, Alexis Dale, was killed by a motorist while crossing the intersection last August.

The bridge was to link FIU’s Modesto A. Maidique Campus with the city of Sweetwater where about 4,000 of its students live, according to the Miami Herald.

Fire officials said two workers were on the bridge at the time of the collapse. 

Here is the bridge dispatch audio below. 

Copyright 2018 Raycom News Network. All rights reserved. 

(RNN) - Multiple people died Thursday when a 950-ton pedestrian bridge collapsed on a major roadway running through the campus of Florida International University.

The mayor of Miami-Dade confirmed one death and six injuries and said eight cars were trapped under the bridge at SW Eighth Street and 109th Avenue, according to CNN. 

At least eight people were taken to Kendall Regional Medical Center, the Miami Herald reported.

It was unclear how many others were injured or the extent of their injuries. The school is currently on spring break.

The school released a statement:

"We are shocked and saddened about the tragic events unfolding at the FIU-Sweetwater pedestrian bridge. At this time we are still involved in rescue efforts and gathering information. We are working closely with authorities and first responders on the scene. We will share updates as we have them."

The span of the bridge that collapsed was only installed on Saturday. The $14.2 million project wasn't expected to be completed until 2019.

"I was really excited about seeing the bridge, now seeing it like this, I can't explain it," an engineering student, Ricardo Dejo, told CNN.

A witness, Isabella Carrasco, also told the network she had just driven under the bridge when it collapsed behind her.

"Quite frankly I'm lucky to be alive," she said.

The structure was hailed as an "instant" bridge that had been assembled over a number of months and then dropped into place in a matter of hours.

Its method of construction is referred to as "accelerated bridge construction," or ABC. 

“We are stunned by today’s tragic collapse of a pedestrian bridge that was under construction over Southwest Eighth Street in Miami. Our deepest sympathies are with all those affected by this accident," FIGG Engineering, the company that designed the bridge, said.

"We will fully cooperate with every appropriate authority in reviewing what happened and why. In our 40-year history, nothing like this has ever happened before. Our entire team mourns the loss of life and injuries associated with this devastating tragedy, and our prayers go out to all involved.”

Another company, Munilla Construction, said: "The MCM family’s thoughts and prayers go out to everyone affected by this terrible tragedy. The new University City Bridge, which was under construction, experienced a catastrophic collapse causing injuries and loss of life. MCM is a family business and we are all devastated and doing everything we can to assist. We will conduct a full investigation to determine exactly what went wrong and will cooperate with investigators on scene in every way." 

The bridge was supposed to make life safer for students at FIU, taking them over the busy intersection. An FIU undergraduate student, Alexis Dale, was killed by a motorist while crossing the intersection last August.

The bridge was to link FIU’s Modesto A. Maidique Campus with the city of Sweetwater where about 4,000 of its students live, according to the Miami Herald.

Florida's politicians quickly responded to the tragedy. 

The school tweeted about the new bridge on Wednesday.

Florida International University is one of the largest public universities in Florida. The school has two major campuses and enrolls 55,000 students.

Copyright 2018 Raycom News Network. All rights reserved.

MIAMI (AP) - A newly-installed pedestrian bridge collapsed Thursday at Florida International University, trapping at least five vehicles underneath.

Live television reports showed several people loaded onto ambulances immediately after the collapse. There was no immediate report of injuries or any fatalities from authorities.

The 950-ton span was installed on Saturday. The main part of the 174-foot span was assembled by the side of the road while support towers were built at either end. 

(Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

(RNN) - A pedestrian bridge collapsed onto cars at Florida International University in Miami on Thursday. 

It was unclear how many might be injured. A red vehicle could be seen under the bridge.

The bridge had just been installed on Saturday. 

Copyright 2018 Raycom News Network. All rights reserved.

Copyright 2024 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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