Dog found 18 hours after bridge fall

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MIAMI, July 19 (UPI) -- A small dog wearing a pink sweater fell from a Miami drawbridge, but ended up in one of the bridge's small tunnels instead of the river.

David Bernstein, the motorist who was first in line at the Brickell Avenue drawbridge around 10 p.m. Tuesday, said he and other witnesses saw the dog heading for the center of the bridge as it was being raised and attempted to call the animal and alert the bridge operator, WFOR-TV, Miami, reported Thursday.

"There were quite a few people who saw the events unfolding right before their eyes and who were causing quite a scene," Bernstein said.

However, he said the dog reached the center of the bridge and was seen falling toward the Miami River. Bernstein said he searched for the dog for about an hour, but could find no sign of the canine.

Bernstein returned to the bridge Wednesday morning, about 18 hours later, and spoke with a bridge operator who told him about tunnels that had been built into the bridge.

"And she said, the dog's in there, five stories down, walling around in the mud, and I was just, I was blown away," Bernstein said.

Animal rescuers said they are trying to find the dog's owners.