Bridge splits apart during live flood report in ‘heart stopping video’

A reporter and photojournalist in North Carolina experienced an unsettling moment during a live news report, when a bridge they were standing on suddenly split apart.

On Thursday, Amber Roberts, a reporter for Fox 46 in Charlotte, North Carolina, was standing on Hiddenite Bridge with photojournalist Jon Monte and discussing the impact of intense flooding following Tropical Storm Eta in Alexander County.

As the camera rolls, viewers can see the bridge collapse suddenly, succumbing to pressure that had been building up, and a passerby start to run away in the opposite direction.

Watch TODAY All Day! Get the best news, information and inspiration from TODAY, all day long.

"This road, this bridge, is literally sinking," Roberts said in the report, focusing on a segment of the bridge that was already buckling. "Take a look at the ground, you can see it caving in."

Roberts continued speaking, but mid-sentence was interrupted by the bridge splitting.

"This is incredibly scary," she yelled as part of the bridge cracked. The camera shot moved backward as Roberts continued talking. "OK, we're backing up, we're backing up. Just right here, live on TV, we saw the road collapse, that same road that we were just standing on seconds ago, so thank God that we are backing up."

Roberts appeared on another news report about two hours later to discuss what had happened.

"It was definitely a scary situation for me and my photojournalist," Roberts said while standing outside in the rain and in the same area. "We just had to be calm in the moment, to step back and hope for the best, and thankfully we are OK, but what is far from OK is this road."

Roberts later shared video of the moment on Twitter.

"I am SO #thankful me and my @FOX46News #photojournalist, @JonMonteFOX46 are okay," she wrote. "I'm sending #prayers up to the people of #Alexander #County impacted by today's #flooding."

Several other colleagues from the news station shared their own reactions to the moment, all expressing relief that Roberts and Monte hadn't been injured.

"This was terrifying to watch today," wrote senior news producer Janet Parker, who referred to the clip as a "HEART STOPPING VIDEO" in her Twitter caption. "Thankful @AmberFOX46 and @JonMonteFOX46 are ok. They were just inches away from a bridge collapsing from floodwaters. Flooding can be catastrophic in a second. Praying for the families mourning in Alexander Co tonight."

Jason Harper, a morning co-anchor on the station, shared an edited before-and-after clip of the collapse.

"Soooo glad @AmberFOX46 and photojournalist @JonMonteFOX46 are ok after the bridge collapsed LIVE on tv!!" he wrote, adding that news crews are taking "every precaution to get you the latest" on the flooding.