What to Know
- Two more cars were removed from the rubble near FIU on Saturday.
- Five of the victims have been identified by officials.
- Officials are working to extract six remaining cars at the scene.
Authorities identified the sixth and final victim of the collapsed bridge near Florida International University on Sunday.
Police said Rolando Fraga-Hernandez, Oswald Gonzalez, Alberto Arias and Navarro Brown were killed when a 950-ton pedestrian bridge collapsed near FIU on March 15. NBC 6 independently confirmed FIU student Alexa Duran was killed in the incident on Friday.
On Sunday, a sixth victim in the deadly collapse was identified as Brandon Brownfield by Miami-Dade Police.
"I want to thank you all for your continuous love and support and prayers over the last 3 days," Chelsea Brownfield wrote. "The coming days are going to be excruciating, as we dig deep to find the strength we need to heal."
A GoFundMe page has been set up for Brownfield, who was described as being a "genuine, stand-up family guy." Brownfield has three daughters and worked in the crane industry, according to the page.
In a video message posted on Twitter, FIU president Mark Rosenberg acknowledged the victims, adding that a moment of silence will be held at 1:47 p.m. at the University on Monday to honor the lives lost.
"Please join us, wherever you are, and keep the victims and their families in your thoughts," he said.
Duran, an FIU freshman and political science major, was identified by authorities as a victim on Saturday. Her uncle said his grief has turned to anger and he is demanding answers from those involved.
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“It’s too late for my niece. It’s too late for the other family’s children who were lost in there. I want people to step up and say 'Hey, I was the one responsible,' he said. "Come out of the shadows. Where are you people? This was a colossal failure of the system and this was complete incompetence from the top down."
Duran was driving under the bridge when the bridge came crashing down on her Toyota SUV. Her passenger survived the wreckage.
Others were distraught as they waited at the family reunification center on Saturday.
Police said Arias, 53, was the driver of a white Chevy truck pulled from the wreckage on Saturday.
“He went out of his way to help anybody. He was a business owner and he just took a lot of pride in his work and family,” said Ismael Segovia, his cousin.
Relatives say Arias was helping his mother move. His friend and passenger, Oswald Gonzalez, also died.
Brown, 37, was working on site when the bridge collapsed.
Fraga–Hernandez's gold Jeep Cherokee was pinned underneath the weight of the concrete.
Chaplains were on site trying to console families during those tough times.
“I think people are in shock and some of them are in shock, some want to cry, some are too emotional to even cry," said Thomas Hanlon, a chaplain. "It’s pent up in there because of the unknown about where that family member may be.”
