Four people have lost their lives after a newly built pedestrian bridge collapsed on Thursday at Florida International University in the miami area, the Miami Herald reported. First responders say at least five vehicles were crushed by the debris. According to Miami-Dade County Fire Rescue, there were workers on the bridge as it was still under construction. The deceased have not yet been identified, but rescue operations are still underway, Miami Dade Fire Chief Dave Downey told reporters.

According to state officials at least nine victims were rescued and rushed to the hospital.

The 950-ton bridge fell directly on to a busy roadway at around 1:30 p.m. Florida governor, Rick Scott, told reporters that all first responders from the region were en route. He also said investigations have commenced and the authorities will make sure the cause of the accident is known to the public.

4 people dead and 2 in critical condition

Doctors from Kendall regional medical center said they received ten patients two of whom remain in critical condition. According to the chief surgeon, Dr. Mark McKenney, one patient has a significant head and chest injury, and one is in a coma. The Munilla Construction Management, which installed the bridge, said in a statement that the collapse was catastrophic and many people have been injured and others killed.

The MCM also offered their condolences to those affected and said they would assist in the investigations to determine what went wrong.

The bridge was scheduled to open next year officially and was designed to withstand massive hurricanes. The bridge connects the FIU campus with the city if Sweetwater. According to the university website, the bridge was 174ft long and weighed 950 tons.

Five days before the collapse, the university had celebrated the unveiling of the walkway. The bridge was meant to provide a walkway over one of the busiest roads in South Florida. There were some unconfirmed reports that there were workers on the bridge conducting stress tests when it collapsed.

The White House responds to Miami tragedy

The National Transportation Safety Board tweeted that it would be sending a team of investigators to investigate the bridge collapse. The White House press secretary, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, said the president had been briefed about the incident and first responders are working hard to save as many lives as they can. After the news briefing, Trump acknowledged the first responders and thanked them for their courage.

Witnesses told CNN they had just passed the bridge when they heard a loud bang. They took a turn into the university only to see the bridge collapsing. According to the witnesses, police ran and started helping injured people.
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