Video footage by ABC News shows the moments just after a pedestrian bridge collapsed at Florida International University on Thursday, killing several people.
NEW: Video shows the pedestrian bridge that collapsed at Florida International University campus in Miami, killing several people. https://t.co/0sYpC7TcGG pic.twitter.com/fXUivOrYVm
— Good Morning America (@GMA) March 15, 2018
Aerial footage from the scene in Miami shows first responders tending to victims on the scene, loading others onto stretchers into ambulances and searching for people in the rubble.
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Florida Highway Patrol has not confirmed a total fatality count, but it said five to six vehicles were crushed in the collapse.
In a statement, the university said it was “shocked and saddened about the tragic events unfolding on campus.”
“At this time we are still involved in rescue efforts and gathering information,” the university said. “We are working closely with authorities and first responders on the scene.”
Florida Gov. Rick Scott tweeted that he was aware of the collapse and that he would be in “constant communication” with law enforcement throughout the day.
“I have spoken with Miami-Dade County Police Chief Juan Perez about the pedestrian bridge collapse at FIU. I will be in constant communication with law enforcement throughout the day,” he wrote.
I have spoken with Miami-Dade County Police Chief Juan Perez about the pedestrian bridge collapse at FIU. I will be in constant communication with law enforcement throughout the day.
— Rick Scott (@FLGovScott) March 15, 2018
The Miami Herald reports that Miami-Dade Police is dispatching a homicide squad to begin a death investigation into the fatal bridge collapse.
A section of Miami’s busy 8th Street was closed earlier this month to allow workers to position the 174-foot bridge, according to PantherNOW, a university newspaper.
Florida International University officials touted the bridge as a “first-of-its-kind.” It was positioned and opened for use on Saturday.
First-of-its-kind pedestrian bridge “swings” into place. “FIU is about building bridges and student safety. This project accomplishes our mission beautifully,” -President Mark B. Rosenberg. https://t.co/x8gPM9A4DG #worldsahead pic.twitter.com/mPEMeh2zmw
— FIU (@FIU) March 10, 2018
According to an FIU press release, the 950-ton bridge was installed “in a few hours” using “accelerated bridge construction” methods, which the university said “reduces potential risks to workers, commuters, and pedestrians and minimizes traffic interruptions.”
The street that the bridge stretches over, 8th Street, is a high-traffic road that runs from downtown Miami and west to the Everglades.
It had reportedly been requested by those at the university so pedestrians could avoid the busy traffic of the street below, where a student had been struck by a car and killed in August 2017.
