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Four dead after pedestrian bridge collapses near Florida International University

A view of the collapsed pedestrian bridge at Florida International University. Image: @meganmfernandez/Twitter

A pedestrian bridge that was erected for not even a week collapsed on Thursday near Florida International University in Sweetwater, Florida, according to Miami-Dade County Fire Chief Dave Downey, killing four people.

The 950-ton bridge spanned over the six lanes of Southwest 8th Street, one of South Florida’s major thoroughfares, and caused at least eight vehicles to be trapped in the wreckage with 10 people needing to be sent to local hospitals.

At 174 feet long, the bridge connected the city of Sweetwater to FIU and was installed on Saturday, according to the university. The $14.2 million project was designed to withstand a category 5 hurricane and 100 years of use.

The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board has dispatched a team to investigate the collapse.

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