MIAMI, Fla. (WVEC/ABC) -- The Miami-Dade County police said at least six people have been found dead in the rubble of a collapsed pedestrian bridge in South Florida on Thursday.
Fire rescue transported nine people to a local hospital, while went to the hospital on their own, totaling 10 injured from the incident. Officials say they are still confirming the victims' names with their families.
The 950-ton span fell at the Florida International University's main campus in the Miami area.
According to ABC News, the bridge was not a Florida Department of Transportation project, and the designer, contractor and the construction engineering and inspection are all under contract with the university, the Florida DOT said.
Figg Engineering designed the project, and the Munilla Construction Management both built and installed the structure, according to the Florida DOT. Bolton Perez and Associates handled the construction engineering and inspection, the agency added.
An independent, secondary design check was required due to the unique characteristics of the design of the bridge, according to the Florida DOT.
According to our partners at the Virginian Pilot, Figg Bridge Engineers were fined $28,000 in 2012 after a 90-ton section of the South Norfolk Jordan Bridge collapsed in Chesapeake during construction. Four workers had minor injuries.
According to citations following the Jordan Bridge mishap, the company modified a steel beam without getting permission from the manufacturer.
FIGG Bridge Engineers, Inc. released the following statement to 13News Now:
“We are stunned by today’s tragic collapse of a pedestrian bridge that was under construction over Southwest Eighth Street in Miami. Our deepest sympathies are with all those affected by this accident. We will fully cooperate with every appropriate authority in reviewing what happened and why. In our 40-year history, nothing like this has ever happened before. Our entire team mourns the loss of life and injuries associated with this devastating tragedy, and our prayers go out to all involved.”
Robert Bea of the University of California, Berkeley, said it's too early to know exactly what happened to cause the collapse of the FIU bridge.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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