Status: 30.06.2021 7:28 p.m.
Since the partial collapse of a residential building near Miami, the desperate search for people buried has been going on. Four more victims have now been recovered from the rubble. This increases the number of deaths to 16.
After the partial collapse of a twelve-story apartment building in the US state of Florida, the number of recovered fatalities continues to rise. Four more dead were found in the rubble, said the mayor of Miami-Dade district, Daniella Levine Cava, at the accident site in Surfside near Miami. The number of deaths increased to 16. According to the local politician, 147 people are still missing.
The building near the beach with around 130 residential units had partially collapsed in the night of Thursday last week. The misfortune surprised people in their sleep.
Search for survivors – around the clock
A desperate search for survivors has been going on ever since. Rescue teams are on duty around the clock – with sniffer dogs, special cameras, listening instruments and heavy equipment. Levine Cava said several hundred emergency services were involved in the search at the site of the accident. They worked day and night, in rotating twelve-hour shifts.
Shortly after the collapse, emergency teams were initially able to save several dozen people. It is feared that the number of deaths will rise significantly in view of the many missing people. According to the police, twelve of the dead have so far been identified: The youngest victim was 26 years old, the oldest 92.
The search parties also found unidentified “human remains” in the rubble. To identify victims, DNA samples were collected from relatives of the residents.
In the meantime, a fire in the rubble had significantly hampered the search. Recurring heavy rain and thunderstorms also regularly bother the search parties.
Cause still unclear
The cause of the partial collapse is still unclear. The residential complex known as Champlain Towers South dates from the 1980s. At the weekend, an inspection report from 2018, written by an external company, became public, in which experts listed several defects – including major structural defects in the building’s concrete.
Biden wants to visit the scene of the accident
US President Joe Biden wants to visit the site of the accident tomorrow with his wife Jill. The White House said the two wanted to thank the emergency services and provide support to families who fear for the lives of their loved ones.