Demolition crews bring down rest of condo

SURFSIDE, Fla. — Demolition crews set off explosives late Sunday to bring down the damaged remaining portion of a collapsed South Florida condo building, a key step to resuming the search for victims as rescuers possibly gain access to new areas of the rubble.

A number of explosions could be heard and then the building started to fall, sending up massive plumes of dust into the air in the surrounding neighborhoods.

The precarious, still-standing portion of a collapsed structure was rigged with explosive charges and set for demolition, after suspending the search-and-rescue mission.

Through the night, rescuers were awaiting the “all-clear” after the demolition so they could dive back into the task of trying to locate any survivors buried under the rubble. Officials had previously said that the search could resume from 15 minutes to an hour after the detonation.

“We are standing by. We are ready to go in, no matter the time of night,” Levine Cava told a news conference earlier Sunday night.

Rescuers have recovered the remains of 24 people, with 121 missing.

LYNNE SLADKY/AP The damaged remaining structure at the Champlain Towers South condo building in Surfside, Florida, collapses in a controlled demolition late Sunday.