Miami – A small plane crashed this Saturday on one of the access bridges to Miami-Beach, in Florida (USA), hitting one of the cars that were circulating, leaving one person dead and five injured, two of them in critical condition, authorities confirmed.
Although initially, the authorities reported only six injuries in the incident, in a press conference the Miami-Dade Police communication department confirmed that one person was killed.
Authorities said two of the injured are in serious critical condition.
The seriously injured were taken to the Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, and the others to local hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries.
According to official information, one of the vehicles that were traveling past noon today on the bridge was hit head-on by the plane.
In that vehicle were a woman and two small children who were treated with minor injuries, police added.
The single-engine plane caught fire leaving a column of black smoke, which attracted the attention, along with the sound of the impact, of passers-by and bathers in the area who took pictures of the incident with their phones.
The firefighters also reported that the fire has already been put out and the pertinent measures were taken in the face of the fuel spill.
Images on the portal of local television NBC6, apparently taken from a mobile phone, showed the device engulfed in flames while a dozen drivers passing through the area got out of their cars visibly scared.
The incident occurred on the Haulover Inlet Bridge, one of the bridges that connect to the island of Miami Beach, authorities confirmed.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the aircraft was a single-engine Cessna 172 that lost power before crashing on the bridge, about 5 miles (8 km) east of Opa-Locka airport, afternoon. from today.
Three people were onboard the device, picked up by Local channel 10 without any news of their identity.
According to the FAA, the plane had departed from Fort Lauderdale International Airport (north of Miami) and was heading to Key West International Airport when the accident occurred.
The Miami-Dade Police Department said on Twitter that the section of Collins Avenue between 96th and 163rd streets was closed for the investigation of the accident, which is being handled by the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board.
Of the 6 victims, three were on board at the time of the incident. Authorities said two of them are in critical condition.
Miami-Dade Police spokesman Álvaro Zabaleta said the plane was involved in a head-on collision with the SUV, causing the plane to flip.
When fire crews responded, they found the plane on fire and quickly extinguished the flames, authorities said.
“We had three first responders from the Miami-Dade Fire Department arrive on scene first and begin assisting patients,” said Erika Benitez, spokeswoman for the Miami-Dade Fire Department. “Within a few minutes several other units arrived and when they arrived they saw a plane on fire, as well as a vehicle that had been hit by the plane.”
The plane had left Fort Lauderdale International Airport and was headed for the Florida Keys.
Aerial footage captured the plane’s fire on the busy Miami bridge. So far the reasons for the accident are unknown.
The Haulover Inlet Bridge at Collins Avenue is closed between Sunny Isles Beach and Bal Harbour. Southbound Collins Avenue is closed at 158 Street. Traffic is being diverted. Find an alternate route and expect long delays.
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