A doctor says his hospital in Miami, Florida, has received 10 people who were injured Thursday when a pedestrian bridge under construction collapsed across a highway, crushing a number of cars.
Dr. Mark McKenney, the trauma medical director at Kendall Regional Medical Center, said late Thursday that two of the people were critically injured. He said. one arrived in cardiac arrest, but was revived, while the other has a serious brain injury.
McKenney said the other eight people were in stable condition with “everything from bruises and abrasions, all the way to broken bones.”
Police said earlier Thursday a full search and rescue operation was under way at the site between the campus of Florida International University and student housing.
Miami-Dade Country Fire Chief Dave Downey said four bodies were found in the wreckage.
Police said eight cars were trapped under the rubble.
The bridge was put up to allow students from Florida International University to easily cross a busy and sometimes dangerous eight-lane highway in Sweetwater, a small city east of downtown Miami.
The final 950-ton section that completed the bridge was assembled at a site along the highway and installed in just one day last Saturday to avoid disrupting traffic.
The bridge was set to be open for pedestrians next year.
School officials and the company that built the bridge, Munilla Construction Management, hailed the project as a major achievement.
MCM said on Twitter it is “devastated” and will conduct a full investigation as well as cooperate with other investigators, including the National Transportation Safety Board.
Florida International University is closed for spring break. The timing of the holiday may have prevented an even bigger tragedy.
WATCH: Rescue workers probe debris for victims
WATCH: Aerial view of Florida pedestrian bridge collapse
| via Voice of America
