MIAMI, FLORIDA—A pedestrian bridge near Florida International University collapsed on Thursday, March 15 killing a total of six people, and injuring 10 others.
The 950-ton bridge was a relatively new structure on campus, built to avoid pedestrian deaths on the busy road below. When it collapsed Thursday at 1:30 p.m., it fell on top of several cars, trapping and crushing several people. In addition to the five confirmed dead on the scene, a sixth individual was later pronounced dead after being transported to a local hospital. Multiple people who were injured during the collapse were transported to local hospitals to be treated for injuries sustained.
In a Thursday night press conference, Governor Rick Scott had strong words for the person(s) responsible for the defective bridge. “If anybody has done anything wrong, we will hold them accountable,” said Scott.
Senator Marco Rubio, an adjunct professor at Florida International University for the past 10 years, called for an “exhaustive review that will give details on an engineering and scientific level as to what the errors were, and what led to this catastrophic collapse.”
Mark Rosenberg, President of Florida International University, issued a statement regarding the bridge collapse. Five days ago, the university was celebrating the completion of the bridge. He said it symbolized “collaboration, it was about hope, was about opportunity, it was about determination and it was about strength and unity.”
“Now we’re feeling immense sadness, uncontrollable sadness,” he added.
Search and rescue teams are continuing to comb through the debris to rescue anyone who may be trapped underneath. Officials are now commencing an investigation to learn what caused the bridge to collapse.