Horrific scenes are emerging following the collapse of a newly-constructed pedestrian bridge which spans a motorway in Miami, Florida. The bridge at the Florida International University, and which weighs 950-tons, was only put in place on Saturday after the main walkway was hoisted onto support towers. It had been built after requests from pedestrians who had to cross the Tamiami Trail which connects parts of the university campus and following a death of a pedestrian in August 2017. The 174ft (53m) cable-supported bridge, which wasn’t due to be publicly opened until 2019, had cost $14.2m and had been funded by the Department of Transportation.
Early reports suggest there have been multiple fatalities and pictures clearly show crushed cars beneath the collapsed bridge, with the BBC suggesting at least three. The occupants of these cars are seemingly unlikely to have survived. There are also reports of people trapped under the structure and emergency services are working to rescue any survivors. Miami Herald reporter Monique Madan said on Twitter said that “multiple deaths” have already been confirmed by police. WPLG Miami say there are at least six injuries confirmed at this point.
Sources & Further Reading:
- Florida university bridge collapses ‘leaving people trapped’ – BBC – Thursday 15 March 2018
- Florida bridge collapse: multiple vehicles trapped under walkway – The Guardian – Thursday 15 March 2018 – by Richard Luscombe, in Miami and Agencies
STEPHEN NULTY 