Photo: Giorgio Viera / EFE
Rescuers continue to search for survivors of an apartment building collapse in Surfside, Miami-Dade County, Florida, while a “large” fire inside the rubble is making it difficult to search for survivors, reported local authorities at a news conference Saturday morning in Surfside , east of Miami.
At the press conference, where the governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis was also present, it was reported that the crews of rescuers “have not stopped clearing debris to search for people” throughout the night.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis also warned residents of the sister building to the one that collapsed in Champlain Towers who may need to evacuate as a precaution, as researchers have yet to determine the cause of the unexpected collapse of the south building, which occurred on Thursday morning.
“It was built at the same time with the same designer, so they are looking to work with them, and I know they are potentially considering evacuating them, but that’s something the mayor will ultimately have to make the call to, ”said DeSantis.
“The numbers” of fatalities and missing persons have not changed so far: 4 and 159, respectively, although the The focus to this day remains the same, finding survivors, said Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, who also reported a fire that has not been failed to shutdown and makes the rescue difficult.
Techno support logy and rescuers
“This has been gigantic for us, we are moving in operational to continue with the search, ”said the mayor and said that modern technology such as infrared lights and sound detection devices are used to locate survivors.
It was also confirmed that the workers made a drainage ditch in the middle of the mountain of concrete rubble and iron, to “isolate the smoke and fire,” said the mayor.
Aerial views of local television media show this morning two powerful jets of water aimed at the debris left by the collapse, which occurred last Thursday in a wing of the Champlain Towers apartment building.
The property, of 12 plants and 136 apartments and located on the beachfront, opened in 1981 and were preparing for a mandatory inspection by their 40 years.
Total, 55 apartments in the building collapsed while people slept.
Investigate the cause
Meanwhile, relatives of the disappeared who are housed in a hotel in the north of Miami Beach, a few streets away from the accident, they see the debris work on television, in which they can see how a huge excavator tears off pieces structure of the massed mountain.
On the third day of the search, the The chances of finding people alive are diminishing, although, according to the authorities, “there is still hope.”
“The approach has not changed at all, we are looking for people alive, the search has not stopped all night ”, said Mayor Levine Cava, while, next to him, the state governor mentioned “a very difficult and chaotic situation” for rescuers.
Levine Cava advanced that There are federal investigations underway pa To determine the causes of the crash , which occurred in a matter of seconds was captured by a security camera.
A part of this building collapsed like a house of cards, where supposedly dozens of people were, many from Latin American countries on vacation.
Also, the county is going to make sure all buildings are safe “and that this doesn’t happen again,” Levine Cava said.
“I ordered all buildings of 5 floors or more to be reviewed for certification and we will review everything within 30 days ”, he announced the mayor.
Various local media echo this Saturday an inspection report from 2018 to the damaged building, where he realizes a construction “serious error” in the pool area, according to the Miami Herald.
In the report on the Champlain Towers South condominium, located in the city of Surfside, adjacent to Miami Beach, an engineer pointed out a “major error” that dates back to the origin of the building, where the lack of adequate drainage on the pool terrace had caused “significant structural damage,” the newspaper reported.