So far, 24 dead have been recovered from the rubble of the Champlain Tower.
Image: Reuters
The part of the building that remained standing in the collapse was dangerously unstable and, despite the rescue operation, urgently had to be blown up, according to the authorities. The number of victims has now increased to 24, and 120 people are still missing.
NAfter the partial collapse of a residential complex in the US state of Florida, the authorities are preparing to demolish the remaining part of the building as quickly as possible. The ruin is dangerously unstable and urgently needs to be blown up despite the ongoing rescue operation, said Governor Ron DeSantis. The search for buried residents of the twelve-story residential complex was stopped on Saturday afternoon due to preparations for the demolition.
This should take place on Sunday because of the approaching foothills of a tropical storm. “We are still confident that we can make the demolition before the storm,” said Miami-Dade District Mayor Daniella Levine Cava. According to forecasts, the foothills of the tropical storm “Elsa” could cause strong gusts of wind and heavy rain from Monday evening.
The search is painfully slow
The emergency services recovered two more bodies in the rubble on Saturday, bringing the number of victims to 24. More than 120 people are still missing, although it is unclear how many of them were actually in the building in Surfside near Miami at the time of the accident.
The complex with around 130 residential units collapsed on June 24 for reasons that were still unexplained. The unstable ruin of the building, which represents a permanent threat to the rescue workers, is to be brought to collapse with a targeted blast in order to then expand the rescue operation again. However, the demolition also carries risks for possible survivors in the rubble. Since the collapse, detection dogs, special cameras, listening instruments and heavy equipment had been used to search for victims around the clock.
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