UPDATE: Deadly Bridge Collapse at Florida Int’l University That Killed 'Several' Under Federal Investigation

Monica Sanchez | March 15, 2018
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UPDATE 10:55 P.M. EST: 

Four people have been confirmed dead after a newly installed 950-ton bridge collapsed at Florida International University in Miami on Thursday. 

At least eight vehicles were trapped under the bridge and at least 10 people have been transported to local hospitals for treatment, officials say.

UPDATE 8:12 P.M. EST: 

Miami-Dade Deputy Mayor Maurice Kemp, Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R), Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), and officials from Miami-Dade Police and Fire just concluded a press conference on the bridge collapse at Florida International University (FIU) on Thursday. 

A search and rescue operation is ongoing as first responders search the rubble for any "viable victims." 

Gov. Scott said that once the operation is over, there will be an investigation and "if anybody's done anything wrong, we'll be sure to hold them accountable." 

Sen. Rubio, who is an adjunct professor at FIU, said that engineers and scientists are already working on an "exhaustive review" to figure out what happened and why. 

The bridge was a university project, designed for safety because an FIU student was killed last year crossing SW 8th Street. 

Miami-Dade Fire confirmed that nine victims were transported to local hospitals for treatment. 

UPDATE 7:08 P.M. EST: 

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) held a press conference on Thursday regarding the Florida bridge collapse in Miami. 

The federal agency said that NTSB officials will be investigating what caused the collapse "first thing in the morning" and that any factual information on the matter will be released on Twitter via @NTSB_Newsroom. 

NTSB Chairman Sumwalt will be leading the investigation.

There are several first responders on the scene, including Miami-Dade Police and Fire.

The bridge collapse Thursday afternoon reportedly killed "several," though an official death toll has not been released at this time as a search and rescue operation remains ongoing, officials said.

ORIGINAL STORY: A pedestrian bridge installed last week at Florida International University (FIU) in Miami collapsed on Thursday, leaving several people dead and others injured.  

At 1:30 p.m. local time Miami-Dade Police and Fire were contacted about a bridge collapse.

Authorities held a press conference at 4:30 p.m. where they reported multiple fatalities, though the final number hasn’t been determined yet.

What they did reveal was that there were eight vehicles trapped under the bridge and eight victims have been transported to local hospitals.

There is also a search and rescue underway in which there are over 100 firefighters “working on the area to try to find viable victims,” an official with Miami-Dade Fire said.

Authorities are asking the public to avoid the area between SW 117th Avenue and SW 107th Avenue on SW 8th Street.

Miami-Dade Police also specifically asked the media to “please cooperate with us today more than ever” so no “information that is erroneous” gets out to the public.

For families seeking to contact their loved ones there is a “family reunification center” at FIU campus SASC Room 100.

Early reports from witnesses on scene indicate that several cars were either crushed or partially stuck under the bridge and that people were heard screaming for help.

FIU issued a statement after the collapse, saying the university is “shocked and saddened about the tragic events unfolding.”

(Cover Photo: Jonathan Munoz)

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