Miami building collapse: No more survivors found overnight as fire hinders rescue efforts
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Your support makes all the difference.There has been no update to the number of survivors from the Miami building collapse overnight on Friday, officials said.
Rescue teams were still working to locate 159 unaccounted for people after the 12-storey Champlain Towers South building fell on Thursday. Four people have been confirmed dead.
One problem impacting the search efforts was a fire that’s burning deep within the rubble from the collapse.
Authorities were now working to locate the source of the fire, or fires, while also finding ways to still search for any possible survivors.
More fatalities are expected as authorities warned the number of missing from the collapsed apartment complex in Florida could increase from the current figure of 159.
Meanwhile, a researcher at Florida International University has revealed that the building had been sinking into the ground since the 1990s.
Firefighters rescued 35 people from the Champlain Tower South building that collapsed in the middle of the night on Thursday in Surfside, a beachside town just 6 miles (9.6 km) north of Miami.
Those with family members who may have been in the building at the time of its collapse are asked to call 305-614-1819. More information here.
Fire department releases new video of rescue effort
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue has posted a new video of the search for survivors in Surfside.
In the new footage, about a dozen rescue workers in hardhats and gas masks can be seen climbing over the rubble as a backhoe sits nearby.
“Heavy machinery is being used in order to carefully lift and move around debris to access search areas,” the fire department wrote in a tweet of the video.
Mother miraculously survives four-story fall, saves daughter
A mother who was in Champlain Towers when they collapsed not only survived, but rescued her teenage daughter as well.
CBS Miami reports that Angela Gonzalez and her daughter Devon, 16, both fell four stories when the building crumbled. The fall broke Ms Gonzalez’s pelvis, but somehow she got up and pulled Devon out of the rubble.
Both have survived and are now recovering at Jackson Memorial Hospital, CBS Miami reported.
Surfside mayor says ‘something very bad’ was wrong with building
The mayor of Surfside, Florida has questioned the structural soundness of the building that collapsed there.
“Buildings do not fall down in America,” Mayor Charles Burkett told Fox News. “This is a first world country. That’s a third world phenomenon. And there’s something very bad going on here with respect to this building.”
Mr Burkett emphasized, however, that today he and other officials are solely focused on “getting people out alive.” The physical condition of the building and what led to its collapse will be investigated later, he said.
“That’s for another day,” the mayor said. “We will get the answer.”
Marco Rubio says emergency visas are being arranged for foreigners with missing relatives in Surfside
Florida senator Marco Rubio says emergency visas to the United States are being arranged for foreign relatives of people missing in the Surfside building collapse.
“We are continuing to get emergency visas approved for people from over a dozen countries who have close relatives among the missing in Surfside,” Mr Rubio tweeted. “Many are starting to or have already arrived in South Florida.”
A total of 31 people from six Latin American countries have been reported missing in the disaster.
President Biden will speak with Florida governor this afternoon, White House says
President Biden and Florida governor Ron DeSantis will speak over the phone this afternoon, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said at a press conference.
“We're working to set up a call between the President and the governor that should be happening this afternoon and we'll give you all a readout of that when it happens,” Ms Psaki said.
Governor DeSantis signed an executive order yesterday declaring a state of emergency, which allows for the federal government to help with the disaster relief effort. President Biden had repeatedly offered the aid before Mr DeSantis requested it.
Officials to hold presser on building collapse
Officials are expected to hold a media briefing shortly on the Surfside building collapse.
The Miami-Dade Police Department said a briefing would take place shortly, weather permitting.
Florida governor thanks President Biden for ‘stepping up to the plate’ with federal aid
Florida governor Ron DeSantis thanked President Joe Biden at a press conference for “stepping up to the plate” with federal aid amid the Miami-Dade building collapse.
“They’re all in,” Mr DeSantis said, adding that he had just spoken to President Biden about an hour ago. “We feel like we have all hands on deck.”
Mr DeSantis also added that he wanted a thorough investigation of how and why the Surfside building collapsed, saying victims’ families “have a right to know.”
“We need a definitive explanation for how this happened,” the governor said.
Death toll remains at 4, Miami-Dade mayor says
The official death toll of the Surfside building collapse right now remains at four people, Miami-Dade mayor Daniella Levine Cava said at a press conference.
The number of those missing has remained the same as well, at 159.
Ms Levine Cava also said briefings are now being given to victims’ families every four hours.
Another storm is rolling into the Surfside area, complicating rescue efforts
Meteorologists in Florida are expecting another storm to roll into the Surfside area, which will complicate - but not postpone - the ongoing rescue efforts at the site of the Champlain Tower South collapse.
While rain will not stop the rescue efforts, lightning can, and already has.
The rescue has already been stopped twice as a result of lightning. Rescue crews must pull out when lightning is present due to the massive amounts of metal in the rubble and the potential that fuels and other accelerants in the debris that could be ignited by a lightning strike.
Mother of survivor is first person to be confirmed killed in the collapse
Stacie Fang, the mother of Jonah Handler, a teenager who was rescued from the rubble, is the first person to be confirmed to have died in the collapse of the Champlain Tower South collapse.
The Fang and Chandler families issued a statement on Friday asking for privacy.
“There are no words to describe the tragic loss of our beloved Stacie. The members of the Fang and Handler family would like to express our deepest appreciation for the outpouring of sympathy, compassion and support we have received,” the statement said. “The many heartfelt words of encouragement and love have served as a much needed source of strength during this devastating time. On behalf of Stacie’s son, Jonah, we ask you now to please respect our privacy to grieve and to try to help each other heal.”
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