Four more victims found in rubble
SURFSIDE, Fla., July 6, (AP): A fire official says four more victims have been found in the rubble of a collapsed condominium building in Florida, bringing the death toll to 32.
Miami-Dade Assistant Fire Chief Raide Jadallah gave the news to family members during a closeddoor morning briefing Tuesday. He said rescuers have also been locating more human remains.
Jadallah said there was a twohour delay early Tuesday as a result of lightning. He said workers have removed 5.5 million pounds of debris from the pile.
But they faced a new challenge from thunderstorms that hit the area as Tropical Storm Elsa approached the state.
Four more victims were discovered in the new pile, Miami-Dade Assistant Fire Chief Raide Jadallah told family members, raising the death toll to 28 people. Another 117 people remain unaccounted for.
The demolition late Sunday was crucial to the search-and-rescue effort, officials said, and raised the prospect that crews could increase both the pace of their work and the number of searchers at the site, although the chance of finding survivors 12 days after the June 24 collapse has diminished.
“We know that with every day that goes by, it is harder to see a miracle happening,” said Maggie Castro, a firefighter and paramedic with the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Department who briefs families daily.
Teams had been unable to access areas closest to the remaining structure because of its instability, Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said.
“Truly we could not continue without bringing this building down,” she said at a news conference. Part of the existing debris pile was also helping to support the remaining structure, City of Miami Fire Rescue Capt. Ignatius Carroll said. Rescuers were still holding out hope of reuniting loved ones.
“We continue to remain focused on our primary mission, and that is to leave no stone unturned and to find as many people as we can and to help bring either some answers to family and loved ones or to bring some closure to them,” Carroll said.
The newly accessible area includes master bedrooms where people were believed to be sleeping when the building collapsed, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said.
“We will be able to access every part of that pile, which they hadn’t been able to do up to this point,” DeSantis said. “I think it’s going to move the pace. I think the momentum is very strong.”
Crews could be seen climbing a mound of debris at the site Monday alongside a piece of heavy equipment that was picking up rubble.