A pedestrian bridge at Florida International University collapsed on March 15, killing six people according to officials.
"There are eight vehicles that are trapped underneath as far as we know and we are going to try and get to them as quickly as we can,” said Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez on Wednesday.
The bridge’s span was installed on Saturday, March 10, and was still undergoing construction while open to the public. It was supposed to connect FIU’s campus to the Sweetwater neighborhood where many students live. It was funded through a grant from the United States Department of Transportation and cost an estimated $14.2 million. The bridge was intended to withstand the force of a Category 5 hurricane and last for more than a century.
Location of the collapsed bridge. Image via Google Maps.
"We heard a loud bang behind us ... and we looked back and the bridge had completely collapsed," Isabella Carrasco, a student at the University of Miami, told CNN. "Someone on the side of the road had asked a police officer if she had heard any response from the people inside the car, and she shook her head and said no."
The investigation into the cause of the 950-ton bridge’s collapse is ongoing.
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