At least four people crushed to death as 950-ton Florida bridge falls on busy motorway days after it was built

At least four people have been crushed to death after a newly installed pedestrian bridge collapsed onto a busy road in Florida.

Cars were trapped underneath the Florida International University Bridge when it fell onto a Miami motorway on Thursday afternoon.

Emergency services were working through the night to clear the rubble and search for bodies with so far four people found dead amid the wreckage.

Fire Chief Dave Downey said a further nine victims were removed "early on" and rushed to nearby hospitals.

At least eight cars were trapped directly under the bridge
REUTERS

He said the "search and rescue mode" - deploying trained canines, search cameras and sensitive listening devices - was set to continue for hours.

Governor Rick Scott said at an evening news conference that "everybody is working hard to make sure we rescue anyone who can be rescued".

Vehicles are seen trapped under the collapsed pedestrian bridge
Getty Images

He said a major investigation would be launched into why the bridge, which was erected in just six hours on Saturday, crumbled and fell.

Shocking footage from the scene showed vehicles crumpled under the weight of the bridge, with rubble strewn across the road.

The bridge had only been installed on Saturday
EPA

One witness, Suzy Bermudez was waiting in a line of traffic when she saw the cars in front of her 'totally smashed, almost to the ground' by the falling bridge.

She told ABC News: “It fell on the cars that were waiting for the light to change. All of a sudden, I saw it collapse. It was in slow motion.

“I couldn't process it until I actually jumped out of my car.”

A major investigation is being launched into why the bridge collapsed
EPA

Jacob Miller, a senior at FIU, was visiting a friend in a dorm when he heard sirens and horns honking. He went to a balcony and could see rubble coming down.

"I saw there were multiple cars crushed under the bridge. It was just terrible. I saw some people stopping their cars, trying to get out, trying to assess the situation to see if there is anything they could do to help," he said.

Search-and-rescue crews drilled holes into the debris and used their highly trained dogs to look for survivors. They had to work carefully because part of the structure was still unsafe.

The 950-ton bridge had been assembled by the side of the highway and moved into place on Saturday to great fanfare. It stretched almost 200ft to connect Florida International University with the city of Sweetwater. It was expected to open to foot traffic next year.

FIU president Mark Rosenberg said: "Now we're feeling immense sadness, uncontrollable sadness. And our hearts go out to all those affected, their friends and their families.”

Donald Trump said the bridge collapse was "heartbreaking" and "so tragic".

The US president tweeted: "Many brave First Responders rushed in to save lives. Thank you for your courage. Praying this evening for all who are affected."

Dramatic images show vehicles stuck underneath the bridge 
Jonathan Muñoz

National Transportation Safety Board chairman Robert Sumwalt III said a team of specialists was heading to Miami on Thursday night with plans to begin its investigation on Friday morning.

Miami-Dade Police director Juan Perez said his department's homicide team would take over the investigation after rescue efforts are complete.

Munilla Construction Management (MCM), the Miami-based construction management firm that won the bridge contract, had a news release on its website touting the project with FIGG Bridge Engineers, a Tallahassee firm.

MCM said on Twitter that it was "a family business and we are all devastated and doing everything we can to assist. We will conduct a full investigation to determine exactly what went wrong and will cooperate with investigators on scene in every way."

FIGG said in a statement: "In our 40-year history, nothing like this has ever happened before."

Florida International University is the second largest university in the state, with 55,000 students, most of whom live off-campus. The bridge was supposed to be a safe way to cross a busy highway.

A university student was killed in August while crossing the road that the bridge was supposed to span.

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