Death toll from building collapse in Miami rises to 36 after 8 more bodies found

Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava has confirmed the new number of bodies found. Of these 36 victims, she says, 29 have already been identified

The Miami authorities confirmed Tuesday the discovery of eight bodies from the rubble of the building that collapsed nearly two weeks ago in the city of Surfside, bringing to 36 the number of fatalities, while other 109 people still missing.

Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava has confirmed the new number of bodies found. Of these 36 victims, she says, 29 have already been identified, while another 109 people remain “potentially missing”.

Levine Cava said there are “around 70 missing persons that we can confirm were in the building at the time of the collapse,” according to the ‘Miami Herald’.

Authorities tore down the remaining part of the Champlain Towers South building on Sunday, after which the search for survivors, suspended since Saturday, has resumed.

According to the mayor, the demolition of the remains of the building would facilitate the work of rescue workers.

Search efforts continue as Tropical Storm Elsa advances towards the state of Florida, threatening to interrupt rescue efforts again due to the possibility of heavy downpours, although, according to weather forecasts, Surfside is out of the areas in those that the storm is expected to hit harder.

“We are closely monitoring the weather and we have our meteorological service integrated into our search and rescue teams to work closely and be able to observe any changes that may affect the work and safety of our workers,” said Levine Cava.

The mayor explained that strong gusts of wind and rain are expected in Surfside as a result of Elsa, but, despite them, she stressed that the rescue teams will continue working throughout the night in “extremely adverse conditions”, although they will stop during lightning strikes.

On the other hand, it has also reported that the United States Geological Survey and the National Science Foundation are sending qualified personnel to the field to continue collecting evidence about what happened and why the building ended up collapsing.

So far, some 124 tons of debris have been removed, Miami-Dade County Fire Chief Alan Cominsky reported. Since the collapse, other buildings have been evacuated and inspected as a precaution, such as one in Miami Beach, in which they have found a “failure of the flooring system,” or the Crestview Towers, “structurally and electrically unsafe,” according to inspectors.

Image Credit: Reuters

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