Multiple fatalities were reported Thursday after a recently constructed pedestrian footbridge collapsed at Florida International University; injuring scores as the wreckage rained-down on the roadway below.
According to Fox News, the Florida Highway Patrol has confirmed that “several fatalities” occurred when the “Instant Bridge” gave way just before 2 in the afternoon.
Governor Rick Scott posted on social media within minutes, saying he was “on his way” to the scene.
I’m on my way to Florida International University to be briefed by local law enforcement and university officials. pic.twitter.com/4RyoeELh9m
— Rick Scott (@SenRickScott) March 15, 2018
Images of the carnage appeared on social media as emergency workers struggled to pull survivors from the rubble.
https://twitter.com/ABC/status/974360479077425153
“The bridge, projected to be finished in early 2019, was set to link the university’s Modesto A. Maidique Campus to the town of Sweetwater, where an estimated 4,000 students live, the Miami Herald reported. The bridge, a $9.3 million project, was installed on Saturday, with many celebrating the new construction,” writes Fox.