As many as four people were reported dead while nine others were left injured after a South Florida pedestrian bridge collapsed on Wednesday. The search was on to find if any there are any survivors. Fire Chief Dave Downey said that the bodies were recovered from the concrete rubble and crumpled vehicles. He said that the victims were taken to the hospital but didn’t elaborate on their conditions. Meanwhile, Florida governor Rick Scott said that an exhaustive investigation now beginning will get to the bottom of “why this happened and what happened” and vowed that anyone who did anything wrong would be held accountable. Here is what we know so far about the Florida bridge collapse:
What exactly happened?
The 950-ton bridge which was under construction was assembled by the side of the highway and moved into place Saturday to great fanfare. It stretched almost 60 meters to connect Florida International University with the city of Sweetwater. The bridge was expected to open to foot traffic next year.
However, on Wednesday, the bridge collapsed onto a busy Miami highway, crushing at least eight vehicles under massive slabs of concrete and steel. One side of the bridge led to Florida International University, a school west of the city’s downtown.
Talking about the collapse, FIU President Mark Rosenberg said that the bridge was about goodness and not sadness. He added that now they feel immense sadness, uncontrollable sadness. “Our hearts go out to all those affected, their friends and their families. We’re committed to assist in all efforts necessary, and our hope is that this sadness can galvanize the entire community to stay the course, a course of goodness, of hope, of opportunity” he added.
What led to Florida bridge collapse?
There is still no official word on what led to this collapse but media reports suggest that the technique used to construct the bridge could be responsible for the mishap. The bridge was reportedly being made using a novel approach called accelerated bridge construction – a fast, tested method that carries some risks if not rigorously carried out.
A structure built using this technique is usually unstable and requires utmost precision as construction continues. It can take several weeks for a bridge to shore up and even small mistakes in this period can lead to a partial or total collapse.
It is still not clear what the builders were using as temporary supports.
Meanwhile, the National Transportation Safety Board chairman Robert Sumwalt III said that a team of specialists was heading to Miami on Thursday night with plans to begin its investigation Friday morning.