Miami building collapse: Death toll rises to nine as rescuers dig trench for better access in rubble

‘As of today, one victim passed away in the hospital, and we’ve recovered eight more victims on-site, so I am confirming today that the death toll is at nine,’ says Mayor Daniella Levine Cava

The death toll rose to nine people overnight after search and rescue workers discovered four bodies and more human remains in the rubble of a collapsed building, according to Mayor Daniella Levine Cava of Miami-Dade County.

“As of today, one victim passed away in the hospital, and we’ve recovered eight more victims on-site, so I am confirming today that the death toll is at nine,” the mayor said during a Sunday news conference. “My deepest condolences to the friends, the families, the communities of those who lost their lives.”

Authorities have not yet released the names of five of the victims to the public.

“We are making every effort to identify those others who have been recovered, and additionally, contacting their family members as soon as we are able,” Ms Cava said.

The Miami-Dade Police Department identified four of the victims as Antonio Lozano, 83, and Gladys Lozano, 79; Manuel LaFont; and Stacie Fang.

There are still more than 150 people unaccounted for since the 12-storey Champlain Towers South building collapsed overnight on Thursday.

Search and rescue teams were able to locate the additional bodies overnight after a 125ft long trench was dug through the rubble that’s 20ft wide and 40ft deep, the mayor said. This trench has helped assist rescue workers to locate more bodies as they continue to search for any survivors.

“If you look at that rubble now, you see folks on top, you see major machinery, and they’re working round the clock,” said Governor Ron DeSantis during the press conference.

Mr DeSantis said that state and local officials were working to determine if more resources were needed for the search and rescue efforts. Israel Defense Force’s Home Front Command search-and-rescue team arrived Saturday and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was also on the ground at the site.

Officials were asked if they had a timeframe of when the search teams might transition to recovery, as workers enter the fourth day of searching for any survivors.

“We’ll continue moving through and doing what we’re doing,” said Miami-Dade Fire Chief Alan Cominsky, adding that he had “hope” that search and rescue could continue.

The Champlain Towers South building collapsed overnight on Thursday without warning, with terrifying footage showing the moment the structure crumbled into dust and rubble.

Family members and friends of the loved ones missing in the collapse were now waiting to hear of any news about the fate of their missing person.

Why the building collapsed is not yet known.

A 2018 structural field report of the residential building raised concerns about structural damage in the condominium.

In the report, the consultant noticed damage to a concrete slab below the pool deck, as well as “cracking and spalling” located in the parking garage.

“The failed waterproofing is causing major structural damage to the concrete structural slab below these areas. Failure to replace the waterproofing in the near future will cause the extent of the concrete deterioration to expand exponentially,” wrote consultant Frank Morabito in the October 2018 report.

The report set in place a multimillion-dollar repair project for the building, which was set to start soon – nearly three years after the report was first released.

But then the building collapsed in the middle of the night on Thursday.

Residents in two sister buildings that were built around the same time with the same builder as the Champlain Towers South structure have been given the option to relocate following the collapse, according to Mayor Charles Burkett of Surfside.

Preliminary investigations of those buildings “didn’t find anything that was out of order,” he added.

Officials have vowed to determine the cause of the Champlain Towers South building collapse and act accordingly.