Footbridge collapse ‘a national tragedy’
A pedestrian bridge that was under construction collapsed on to a busy Miami highway yesterday, crushing eight vehicles under massive slabs of concrete and steel and killing at least four people, authorities said.
Search and rescue crews drilled holes into the debris and used dogs as they worked into the night to look for survivors. Nine victims were pulled from the debris, fire officials said. Their conditions were not released by authorities.
The 860-tonne bridge had been assembled by the side of the highway and moved into place last Sunday to great fanfare. It
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stretched almost 60 metres to connect Florida International University with the city of Sweetwater, and was expected to open to foot traffic next year.
‘‘We have a national tragedy on our hands,’' Sweetwater Mayor Orlando Lopez said.
Witness Susie Bermudez told WTVJ-TV she was driving towards the bridge when she saw it fall. ‘‘I’m very grateful to be alive.’’
The National Transportation Safety Board sent investigators to the scene. Miami-Dade Police Director Juan Perez said his department’s homicide team would take over the investigation after rescue efforts were complete.
Florida Governor Rick Scott and Senator Marco Rubio flew to the scene, where they pledged to figure out what led to the collapse.
‘‘There will clearly be an investigation to find out exactly what happened and why this happened, and we will hold anybody accountable if anybody has done anything wrong,’’ Scott said.
Rubio, who has taught at the university as an adjunct professor for a decade, said the bridge was built after a student was killed while crossing the busy highway last year.
An accelerated construction method was supposed to reduce risks to workers and pedestrians and minimise traffic disruption, the university said.
Artists’ renderings of the project show a tall, off-centre tower with cables attached to the walkway to support it. The tower had not yet been installed, and it was unclear what the builders were using as temporary supports.
The main companies behind the
US$14.2 million (NZ$19.5m) project have faced questions about their past work, and one was fined in
2012 when an 82-tonne section of a bridge collapsed in Virginia.
– AP, TNS