Authorities announced that two additional bodies were recovered, including the daughter of a Miami firefighters. This brought the death toll up to 20.
After an audit, Daniella Levine Cava, Miami-Dade Mayor, said that the number of missing had declined. She said that sometimes, one person could have been added to the “accounted-for” list, when in reality, a whole family was safe.
The list was vetted by detectives who recontacted relatives and others around the clock. Officials have confirmed that in some cases, English names and Hebrew names were offered to the same relative who is missing.
According to Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, the 7-year old who died in the collapse was “a part of our fire family.”
Levine Cava stated that rescuers were particularly hard-pressed to find the remains of the girl.
It was really different and more difficult to our first responders. These men and women are suffering an immense human cost every day. I ask you all to keep them in your thoughts, prayers and thoughts,” she stated at a news conference.
Friday’s announcements were made after officials announced that they were working to demolish what remains of the building. This was after concern about the structure’s stability prompted a 15-hour stop to the search for survivors.
Scott Nacheman is a FEMA structures specialist. He said that while the demolition would slow down rescue operations, it would create a safer environment that would allow more people to work on the site. This would also help speed up the process. According to him, it will likely take several weeks for officials to schedule the demolition.
Since the collapse of the condominium at Champlain Towers South, 12 stories high, no one has been saved.
Rescuers were seen from far placing remains of two victims in body bags. These bags were then taken to tents, and finally to nearby medical examiner vans.
A dozen workers were also seen working on the pile, which now measures 20 feet (6 metres), more than 10 feet (3 meter) higher than it was one week ago. Workers would then climb into the pile to remove smaller pieces of rubble. Cranes lifted heavy items from the pile.
Crews discovered that there was an increase in cracks and movement of up to one foot in a large column. This prompted the rescue efforts to be stopped early Thursday.
Cava stated that work resumed just before 5 p.m., after the site had been evaluated by structural engineers. He described firefighters as “really excited out there.”
She stated that she would continue to search “feverishly” as she has done in the areas of the collapse where she is currently able to.
A week after the tower fell, the work stoppage threatened to stifle any hopes of finding anyone alive among the debris. Charles Burkett, Mayor of Surfside, said that the halt was worrying because “minutes and hours count, lives are at risk.”
Investigating the cause of the collapse is ongoing. An engineering report from 2018 found that the ground floor pool deck of the building was supported by a concrete slab with “major structural damage” that required extensive repairs. In the garage, there was also “abundant cracking of concrete columns and beams.”
Two months prior to the building’s collapse, the president of the board sent a letter to residents stating that the structural problems found in the 2018 inspection had “gotten substantially worse” and that major repairs would likely cost at least $15.5million. The building collapsed suddenly last Thursday, despite the fact that bids were still being received for the work.
