Scott said the state would do its best to determine if any wrongdoing led to the collapse and, if so, that people would be held accountable.
Advertisement
An aerial view shows a pedestrian bridge collapsed in front of Florida International University.
Both companies have been involved in bridge collapses before.
Downey said the four deceased victims were located but have not been identified.
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” was risky, especially because the bridge spanned a heavily travelled thoroughfare.
Rescuers are spending the night searching for victims trapped beneath the buckled structure.
At least 10 people were taken to hospitals and two were in critical condition, officials and local media reported.
It “sounded like a bomb, like multiple bombs in one”, Giovanni Hernandez told CNN affiliate WSVN.
Rubio, who is an adjunct professor at the school, noted the pedestrian bridge was meant to be an innovative and “one-of-a-kind engineering design”.
Cristina Rodriguez, a junior at FIU, said she was not surprised when she heard about the collapse.
Florida governor Rick Scott has been briefed. The bridge near Florida International University was in ruins, having collapsed into a pile of concrete and twisted metal.
Jay Withrow of the Department of Labor and Industry told the Virginian-Plot it was sheer luck that the injuries were not more serious, and Figg was fined for failing to obtain written consent from a manufacturer before modifying a girder.
In a press conference, Juan Perez, the director of the Miami Dade police department said: “Our thoughts and prayers go to the victims of this tragedy”.
“I’m very grateful to be alive, thank God”, Bermudez said. “I was really just about to make a right turn a few seconds just before the bridge, and the whole thing just came down, and after the whole thing broke, I was freaking out”. “Everything looked fine. I went underneath it with my own vehicle and it looked great”.
He says “search and rescue mode” is continuing after nightfall.
“We are working with the local officials but we are conducting an independent investigation that is not in any way related to any possible criminal charges”, said Sumwalt.
According to its website, FIGG Bridge Group also designed the Wabasha Freedom Bridge in St. Paul.
The bridge was scheduled to open early next year and created to withstand hurricane-force winds.
The newly installed bridge collapsed on the campus of Florida International University in the Miami area.
“Our deepest sympathies are with all those affected by this accident”, the FIGG statement said. “We only work with certified contractors that have been approved by all the appropriate authorities”.
“We are assisting in the efforts and the main focus is to rescue people”.
FIU touted the bridge as one of the first of its kind, tweeting that it swung into place Saturday. “That’s why he was able to get out through the passenger [side]”, said Manny Perez, who is also looking for his friend. Construction began in 2017 and some work on it remained – it was not yet open to pedestrians.
Its method of construction is referred to as “accelerated bridge construction”, or ABC.
Who was building the bridge?
Advertisement
“Her vehicle, it was literally a miracle of God, her auto got squished by the bridge from the back, so she was able to get out and she was on the floor and it was just very traumatic”, she told the local CBS affiliate.
