Local

Officials: FIU student among 6 killed in Miami pedestrian bridge collapse

There could be more fatalities beyond the six deaths already confirmed in the collapse of a pedestrian bridge at Florida International University in Miami, authorities said Friday.
 
Miami-Dade Police Director Juan Perez said Friday that he expects additional victims to be found as the massive concrete structure is removed.

MIAMI — Photos: Miami-Dade pedestrian bridge collapse

Perez also said the main priority is getting to the victims in crushed vehicles under the rubble as quickly as possible.
 
Authorities also said one victim is confirmed to be an FIU student. The victims' identities have not been released.
The National Transportation Safety Board is at the site to investigate what caused the bridge to collapse Thursday afternoon.
During a news conference early Friday morning, Detective Alvaro Zabaleta with the Miami-Dade Police Department, said that the structure of the bridge is still unstable.
“They’re still working away at the concrete. Engineers have told us last night that it’s got to be done very carefully, but not only because of the fact that we have to preserve evidence, not only the fact that there may be possibly victims under there, we have to treat it very delicately for the safety of the rescuers as well,“ Zabaleta said.
WATCH LIVE: News Conference on fatal pedestrian bridge collapse at FIU

WATCH LIVE: Officials give update on the deadly pedestrian bridge collapse at Miami's Florida International University. Story: http://at.wftv.com/2FEpW1Q

Posted by WFTV Channel 9 on Friday, March 16, 2018
Crews brought in search and rescue dogs Thursday, along with heavy equipment.
The $14.2 million pedestrian bridge was supposed to open in 2019 as a safe way to cross a busy road between the university campus and the community of Sweetwater, where many students live.
"I drive under it every single day. So, I mean it could have been me. It could have been anyone so it really hits home," FIU student Kim Chavarria said.
Florida Gov. Rick Scott and U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio joined other authorities at the scene. Rubio said the public and the families of the dead and injured deserve to know "what went wrong."
 
Rubio, who is an adjunct professor at the school, noted the pedestrian bridge was intended to be an innovative and "one-of-a-kind engineering design."

Read: What is accelerated bridge construction?

 
Renderings showed a tall, off-center tower with supporting cables attached to the walkway. When the bridge collapsed, the main tower had not yet been installed, and it was unclear what builders were using as temporary supports.
 
The project was a collaboration between MCM Construction, a Miami-based contractor, and Figg Bridge Design, based in Tallahassee. Figg is responsible for the iconic Sunshine Skyway Bridge across Tampa Bay.
 
"In our 40-year history, nothing like this has ever happened before," the statement said. "Our entire team mourns the loss of life and injuries associated with this devastating tragedy, and our prayers go out to all involved."
 
MCM Construction Management promised on its Facebook page to participate in "a full investigation to determine exactly what went wrong."
 
Robert Bea, a professor of engineering and construction management at the University of California, Berkeley, said it was too early to know exactly what happened, but the decision to use what the bridge builders called an "innovative installation" over a heavily traveled thoroughfare was risky.
 
"Innovations take a design firm into an area where they don't have applicable experience, and then we have another unexpected failure on our hands," Bea said after reviewing the bridge's design and photos of the collapse.
 
The FIU community, along with Sweetwater and county officials, held a "bridge watch party" March 10. That's when the span was lifted from its temporary supports, rotated 90 degrees across an eight-lane thoroughfare and lowered into its permanent position over the busy road.
"This bridge was about goodness, not sadness," FIU President Mark Rosenberg said. "Now we're feeling immense sadness, uncontrollable sadness."
WATCH LIVE: News Conference on fatal pedestrian bridge collapse at FIU

WATCH LIVE: Officials give update on the deadly pedestrian bridge collapse at Miami's Florida International University.

Posted by WFTV Channel 9 on Friday, March 16, 2018

The Associated Press contributed to this report.