Florida International University to hold moment of silence honoring bridge collapse victims
MIAMI -- Florida International University will hold a moment of silence Monday honoring those killed in a fatal bridge collapse last week.
FIU Pres. Mark Rosenberg invited the university community and the general public to participate in the moment of silence at 1:47 p.m. local time.
"Our hearts continue to ache for the victims of the bridge collapse. Futures and families have been shattered. Our deepest condolences to the families and their friends," Rosenberg said in a video posted to the school's official Twitter account.
Rosenberg extended thanks to first responders at the scene and Red Cross representatives who worked with victims' families.
He said the school had a sense of urgency in completing the investigation into the fatal collapse and pledged to cooperate fully with local authorities.
Rolando Fraga Hernandez, Oswald Gonzalez, Alberto Arias, Navarro Brown, Alexa Duran, and Brandon Brownfield were killed Thursday when a recently constructed bridge connecting FIU to nearby Sweetwater failed, collapsing onto traffic on 8th Street, a major seven-lane thoroughfare. Nearly a dozen others were injured in the incident.
According to NTSB investigators, workers were trying to strengthen a diagonal member on the bridge when it collapsed. Robert Accetta, the investigator-in-charge for the NTSB, said crews were applying post-tensioning force, but investigators aren't sure if that's what caused the bridge to fall.
