Death toll in Florida condo collapse rises to 12, 149 still missing
Recovery crews found the remains of a 12th victim in the rubble of the collapsed Florida condo on Tuesday, authorities said.
Some 149 people were still missing as the around-the-clock search-and-rescue effort reached its sixth day – and the hope of finding survivors grew more remote.
“Our first responders, who are the focus of our attention as they continue around the clock on this mound, are continuing the brave and very, very difficult task, putting themselves in danger,” Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said at an evening news briefing.
“It is their life’s work to search for people alive in circumstances such as this.”
The 12-story Champlain Tower South building in Surfside partially came down Thursday, sparking a massive rescue effort that includes tunneling and the use of sonar, video and heavy equipment.
Rescue crews continued to sift through 12-stories worth of crushed stone, twisted metal and debris even as a lightning storm temporarily hobbled emergency crews on Tuesday. Two storms are in the five-day forecast for the region, which may further affect the recovery effort.
A concern from here is if the portion of the building that is still standing can come down. Officials said structural engineers are on site and have determined it’s not at a risk of collapse at the moment, Cava said. But emergency crews are no longer entering it because of its structural instability.
Miami-Dade Fire Chief Alan Cominsky said the site is hazardous for rescue workers and the potential that the remaining structure could fall partially or completely is being watched.
“I can’t emphasize enough the dangers that we’re encountering,” he said. “So we’ve definitely been monitoring, we’ve been monitoring throughout.”
Rescue crews are giving it their all despite the difficulties, he said.
“It’s an extremely difficult situation,” he said. “We’re out here 110 percent … These are the times that are most difficult.”
“But we’re here to do a job,” he added. “We’re here with a passion. This is what we do and hopefully we have some success.”
Cava added that workers are united in their goal.
“I think our rescue workers are so inspired to find people, they’re so inspired to be joined by so many other support teams,” Cava said.
Questions remain over what caused the collapse, and why building officials didn’t recognize a disaster might be imminent. Photographs taken 36 hours before the collapse showed cracked concrete and other damage.
Some $15 million of capital projects by condo owners were being undertaken to address structural problems with the 40-year-old building.
A letter from the president of the South building’s condo association in April talked about the construction projects. It warned of concrete damage and under-the-surface rust, as well as extensive roof damage.
“A lot of this work could have been done or planned for in years gone by,” the letter from Jean Wodnicki, obtained by the Wall Street Journal, stated. “But this is where we are now.”
A 2018 report cited “severe” structural issues in the garage of the building.
The collapse has also raised concerns of two neighboring buildings in the same complex. One of the buildings, Champlain Towers East, had a large chunk of concrete that came off a pillar after the South building collapse, a resident told Local 10 in an interview.