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Surfside building collapse latest: Bidens to visit site amid 'frantic search' for survivors
At least 11 people are dead and 150 others remain unaccounted for after a 12-story residential building partially collapsed in Florida's Miami-Dade County last week.
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At least 11 people are dead and 150 others remain unaccounted for after a 12-story residential building partially collapsed in South Florida's Miami-Dade County last week, officials said.
A massive search and rescue operation entered its sixth day on Tuesday, as crews continued to carefully comb through the pancaked pile of debris in hopes of finding survivors. The partial collapse occurred at around 1:15 a.m. local time last Thursday at the Champlain Towers South condominium in the small, beachside town of Surfside, about 6 miles north of Miami Beach. Approximately 55 of the oceanfront complex's 136 units were destroyed, according to Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Assistant Chief Raide Jadallah.
So far, 136 people who were living or staying in the condominium at the time of the disaster have been accounted for, according to Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, who noted that the numbers are "very fluid."
Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett acknowledged that there have been questions about how long someone could survive beneath rubble, telling reporters: "There didn't seem to be a good answer to that." But he insisted that search and rescue efforts are continuing unabated.
"Nobody is giving up hope here. Nobody is stopping," Burkett said during a press conference in Surfside on Tuesday. "We are dedicated to getting everyone out of that pile of rubble."
MORE: What we know about the victims of the Surfside condo collapse
President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden will travel to Surfside on Thursday, according to a statement from the White House. Last week, the president approved an emergency declaration in Florida and ordered federal assistance to supplement state and local response efforts in the wake of the partial building collapse.
"They want to thank the heroic first responders, search and rescue teams, and everyone who has been working tirelessly around the clock, and meet with the families who have been forced to endure this terrible tragedy waiting in anguish and heartbreak for word of their loved ones, to offer them comfort as search and rescue efforts continue," White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters Tuesday. "And they want to make sure that state and local officials have the resources and support they need under the emergency declaration."
Hope not lost amid 'frantic search' for survivors
The remaining structure that still stands was cleared by rescue crews last week and all resources have since shifted focus to the debris, according to Jadallah. Hundreds of first responders and volunteers have been working around the clock to locate any survivors or human remains in the rubble. However, heavy rain and lightning storms have periodically forced them to pause their efforts.
One area of the site had to be roped off Tuesday due to falling debris, according to Burkett.
MORE: Surfside building collapse: Death toll rises to 11 as search and rescue enters 5th day
Crews have cut a 125-foot long, 20-foot wide and 40-foot deep trench through the pile to help enhance their search, according to Levine Cava. As of Tuesday afternoon, they had moved more than 3 million pounds of concrete, which equates to over 850 cubic feet, said Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Chief Alan Cominsky.
"This is a very tedious effort," Cominsky said at the press conference. "We're moving debris piece by piece and searching through."
Crews have still not physically reached the bottom of the pile but cameras placed inside showed voids and air pockets where people could be trapped, according to Jadallah, who said they are not yet ready to transition their efforts from rescue to recovery.
Meanwhile, dump trucks have begun moving debris to an alternate site, according to Kevin Guthrie, director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, who told reporters that rescuers have "all the resources" they need.