MIAMI _ A pedestrian bridge under construction at Florida International University collapsed Thursday, just days after crews dropped an elevated 950-ton span in place in a project that was intended to give students a safe route across the busy roadway.
The bridge crashed across six lanes of heavily traveled Tamiami Trail, crushing a still undetermined number of cars and killing a still unclear number of people. Police on the scene said at least six people could be dead.
The Florida Highway Patrol reported five or six cars were trapped under the bridge. Miami-Dade County police said at least eight cars had been crushed under the walkway, which had not yet been opened to student traffic.
At least eight people had been transported to the trauma center at Kendall Regional Medical Center, according to a source close to the hospital. The condition of the patients is not yet known.
Miami-Dade County Police Chief Juan Perez said he believed there were multiple people trapped. He wouldn't venture to guess at the number because first responders were having trouble getting to the vehicles. South Florida's WSVN-TV reported that television news helicopters were ordered to back off so rescuers could listen for sounds from survivors
The collapse was clearly a major failure of a project not expected to be completed until early 2019. There was no immediate explanation for what might have triggered the collapse, which occurred shortly before 2 p.m. EDT.
FIU spokeswoman Maydel Santana-Bravo issued a statement, even as rescue crews were still working the scene.
"We are shocked and saddened about the tragic events unfolding at the FIU-Sweetwater Bridge," she said. "At this time, we are still involved in rescue efforts and gathering information. We are working closely with authorities and first responders on the scene. We will share updates as we have them."
FIU students are on spring break this week, but traffic was expected to be heavy with the Miami-Dade County Youth Fair nearby scheduled to open Thursday afternoon.
Florida Gov. Rick Scott issued a statement that he had spoken with Perez, whose agency dispatched homicide detectives to the scene, which occurs during all mass casualty events.
Scott's office said the governor would visit FIU Thursday to be briefed by police and university officials on the collapse.
Touted as an "instant bridge," the 950-ton pedestrian walkway was installed in a single morning at Southwest 109th Avenue on Saturday, intended eventually to link FIU's Modesto A. Maidique Campus directly to the small suburban city of Sweetwater, where the university estimates 4,000 of its students live.
Before Saturday's installation, FIU said the method of overall installation would significantly reduce the risk to workers, walkers, drivers and minimized traffic disruptions for construction.
Designed as a cable-supported bridge, the pedestrian walkway is the product of a collaboration between MCM Construction and FIGG Bridge Design, the firm responsible for the iconic Sunshine Skyway Bridge over Tampa Bay.
The $9 million bridge was funded through a 2013 U.S. Department of Transportation grant. MCM's website noted that a 175-foot section of the overall 320-foot long bridge was prefabricated next to Tamiami Trail and then moved into position.
