On Wednesday, March 15th, the pedestrian bridge at Miami University collapsed. The casualties have risen to at least six over the last twenty-four hours, devastating the community. This catastrophe has had homicide detectives working hand in hand with engineers trying to discern the cause of the bridge collapse.

The Miami bridge was still under construction when it collapsed making the situation all the more curious. The spokesman for the Miami Police Department, Detective Alvaro Zabaleta, referred to the status of the bridge as “very fragile.” The aforementioned unstableness of the bridge also affects the collection of evidence. Zabaleta also spoke on the fact that the death toll could possibly rise, referencing the “sad possibility that under the concrete there may be additional vehicles.”  

The Miami University has suffered a great loss, not only in infrastructure but more importantly in numbers. The loss of these six people—possibly more—is poignant to any community, especially now with its proximity to recent disasters. The names have not been released, and the recovery of more rubble and evidence is still in place and will be a tedious task to handle. An anonymous witness of the catastrophe states, “It sounded like the world was ending.” Many civilians stopped to help in their time of need, including one Sargent Jenna Mendez who performed chest compressions on unconscious victims. 

This was truly a disaster for the books, and deep regards should be sent to the victims’ families.