A plane that crashed this Saturday on one of the access bridges to Miami Beach, Florida, hitting one of the cars that were circulating, left one person dead and five injured, two of them in critical condition, authorities confirmed.
Although initially the authorities reported only six injured as a result of the incident, in a press conference the Miami-Dade Police communication department confirmed that one person died.
Authorities said two of the injured are in critical condition.
The critically injured were transported to Miami’s Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center, while the others were taken to local hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries.
“Three rescuers from the Miami-Dade Fire Department began helping patients while the plane was on fire, in addition to a vehicle that was hit by the plane,” said Erika Benítez, spokeswoman for the fire department.
According to official information, one of the vehicles that was traveling past noon today on the bridge was hit head-on by the plane.
In that vehicle were a woman and two young children who are being treated for non-life-threatening 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 broadcast on the local television portal 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, regarding 5 miles (8 km) east of Opa-Locka airport, following noon. from today.
Three people were on board the air vehicle, local channel 10 picked up without any news of their identity.
According to the FAA, the plane had taken off 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 incident, which is being handled by the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board..
