Tragedy In Florida: Miami Bridge Collapse Is Only The Latest

Florida officials said Thursday that at least six people were found dead in the rubble of a collapsed South Florida pedestrian bridge where intense search for any survivors continued past nightfall. Police said they expected no more survivors at the bridge collapse site.

Fire Chief Dave Downey said at an evening news briefing on Thursday that the six dead people were discovered concrete rubble and crumpled vehicles.

He added that at least nine victims were removed "early on" and transported to hospitals for treatment but did not elaborate on their condition. He said the "search and rescue mode," deploying trained canines, search cameras and sensitive listening devices had been continuing into the night.

On Thursday, the pedestrian bridge suddenly collapsed onto the road below it near Florida International University, crushing vehicles and killing and injuring people.

Senator Marco Rubio, who visited the collapse site on Thursday, posted on Twitter: "The cables that suspend the #Miami bridge had loosened & the engineering firm ordered that they be tightened. They were being tightened when it collapsed today."

The bridge's main span, which is said to weigh 950 ton, had just been installed last Saturday over eight lanes, near the university in Miami, Florida.

Florida Governor Rick Scott said that the state would examine if any kind of wrongdoing led to the collapse, and if so those responsible would be held accountable.

Like the sudden bridge collapse on Thursday, Florida has been struck by a series of unfortunate tragedies at the beginning of this year and some towards the end of 2017 and in 2016, which have left an impact on the state and the people living there.

On Feb. 14, a mass shooting occurred at a high school in Florida, where at least 17 people were killed and several others injured. The suspect, Nikolas Cruz, 19, confessed later to the police that he opened fire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, killing people and wounding others.

Cruz reportedly arrived at the school in an Uber car, took his rifle out of a case and began shooting in classrooms. After the carnage, he dropped the AR-15 assault rifle as well as his vest and ran out of the school along with fleeing students in order to blend in. He then went to a Walmart and later to a McDonald’s, where he was taken into custody.

In September 2017, Hurricane Irma made landfall in Florida after blowing through the Caribbean, and brought chaos as it moved through the nation’s third most populous state. After making landfall it caused severe flooding and wind damage. Numerous homes were damaged, tornado watches were issued, and there was intense flooding throughout the state. Residents had to be evacuated and many of them simply left the state. Tens of thousands of others had filled emergency shelters, and at least 2.3 million customers were left without power for days.

On June 10, 2016 , Christina Grimmie, the singer, "The Voice" alum and YouTube star, was shot by 27-year-old Kevin James Loibl while she signed autographs for fans following her performance with the pop rock group "Before You Exit" at The Plaza Live Theater in Orlando. After Loibl shot Christina, the singer’s brother tackled him to the ground before gunman shot himself dead.

Also in June 2016, a two-year-old boy was found dead after being pulled by an alligator into a lagoon near a Walt Disney Hotel in Florida. Lane Grave’s body was found intact by a dive team the day after he was grabbed by the reptile.