An engineer left a voicemail saying some cracking had been found on a pedestrian bridge in Florida just two days before it collapsed killing at least six people, INN Reports.
The voicemail, which was left on a landline, was not heard by a state Florida Department of Transportation (DoT) employee until Friday because the employee was out of the office on an assignment, INN learnt
In a transcript released on Friday night, Denney Pate with FIGG Bridge Group says the cracking would need repairs but noted that they didn’t detect any foreseeable issue with bridge from safety perspective “we don’t see that there’s any issue there so we’re not concerned about it from that perspective”, Pate said.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said they have just begun their investigation, and cannot yet say whether that cracking contributed to the collapse.
INN gathered that six people are now confirmed to have died when the newly installed 950-ton bridge at the Florida International University collapsed on Thursday afternoon. Five were found dead at the scene and another died in hospital.
Rescuers have been using high-tech listening devices, trained sniffer dogs and search cameras to find anyone still alive in the rubble, they have found no sign of life.
“We don’t anticipate that we will find anybody alive in there,” officer Lee Cowart, spokesperson of the Miami-Dade police department, told source.
INN also gathered that at least eight vehicles were trapped in the wreckage of the bridge, as fire engines and ambulances rushed to the scene.
One desperate woman whose daughter was in one of the crushed vehicles begged to search the rubble herself, INN learnt. Her request was however denied.
Speaking to journalists, Juan Perez, the director of the Miami Dade police department, said: “Our thoughts and prayers go to the victims of this tragedy.
“We are assisting in the efforts and the main focus is to rescue people.”
One hospital said it has been treating 10 trauma patients. One arrived in cardiac arrest. Their heart was restarted and they were operated on and they are now in intensive care with head and chest injuries.
Another patient arrived at hospital in a coma with severe injuries to their extremities. They have been operated on by neuro and orthopaedic surgeons.
The other eight patients at that hospital have injuries ranging from cuts and bruises to broken bones. All are said to be in a stable condition. Doctors say they range in age from about 20 to about 50 years old, INN heard.
It has been confirmed that workers were on the top of the bridge, and there were “surface rescues” as well as two people pulled out of the debris.
A family reunification centre has been set up for anyone concerned about relatives involved in the tragedy.
Florida governor Rick Scott has been briefed of the situation. A statement said they were “shocked and saddened” at the tragic events and would be working to gather information and help rescue efforts.
Firefighters have been working to secure the bridge while searching for casualties.
Munilla Construction Management, the company involved in the bridge build, called the accident a “terrible tragedy” and vowed to find out why the bridge collapsed.
“The new UniversityCity Bridge, which was under construction, experienced a catastrophic collapse causing injuries and loss of life. MCM is a family business and we are all devastated and doing everything we can to assist,” it said in a statement.
“We will conduct a full investigation to determine exactly what went wrong and will cooperate with investigators on scene in every way.”
INN learnt according to source, that the bridge was dubbed an “instant” bridge and was installed on Saturday, to help students at the university get across the busy road.
The bridge’s main span was assembled at the side of the road, and then moved into place by crane.
The university told source that the installation process reduced the risk to pedestrians and workers and minimised traffic disruption.
Inclusive News Network