Search continues for 18 victims pulled from Miami Tower rubble

Six more bodies found in the ruins of one Miami-Area Condominium TowerThe death toll has risen to 18, nearly a week after the building collapsed, officials said on Wednesday. No one has been rescued alive from the mounds of pulverized concrete, broken wood and twisted metal since the early hours of the disaster on June 24. The seaside town of Surfside, Florida, adjacent to Miami Beach. Officials put the number of missing and frightened people in the ruins of the Champlain Towers South Condo at 145. Two of the 18 confirmed deaths were children between the ages of 10 and 4, Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniela Levin Cava told a news conference. “The loss of the children is too great to bear,” Levine Cava said. he said. “Our community, our nation and the world are all mourning with these families who have lost their loved ones.” Six of the latest victims were confirmed, the remains of four were recovered in the night from Tuesday to Wednesday, and two were found later on Wednesday, Levin Cava. he said. Officials have said they still hope to find survivors. Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett said in an interview that he promised families that rescue teams “wouldn’t leave anyone behind” as teams dig deeper into the rubble. We haven’t reached the bottom. We don’t know what’s out there,” she said. “We’re not going to guess. We’re not going to make a life-or-death decision to stop looking for survivors in that wreck.”

Burkett said a mound of rubble is visible every day, indicating progress. The search and rescue team consists of about 200 specialists working round the clock in 12-hour shifts, with hundreds more personnel – firefighters, police, engineers, environmental safety experts and others – serving in support roles. Two teams of dogs were helping to locate the wreckage – one was trained to sniff out survivors, the other to locate bodies. Investigators have not concluded why nearly half of the 40-year-old skyscraper collapsed because residents fell asleep in the early hours of last Thursday. But in 2018, a report Structural deficiencies found in the 12-floor, 136-unit complex designed by engineering firm Morabito Consultants ahead of the building safety recertification process are now the focus of inquiries.

warning signs

As recently as April, the president of the condo association warned in a letter to residents that the severe concrete damage identified by the engineer around the base of the building had become “significantly worse”. On Wednesday, relatives of Harold Rosenberg, a missing resident, filed a lawsuit in Florida’s 11th Circuit Court against Champlain Towers South Condominium Association Inc., Morabito Consultants Inc., and SD Architects PA, which the lawsuit says is by the Association to Repair the Building. was retained. The lawsuit says that the defendants “ignored clear and startling warning signs and indications that a disaster was imminent.” It seeks unspecified damages for negligence.” The lawsuit states, “Given the location of his residence, Harold Rosenberg is likely located at the very bottom of a mountain of rubble that search-and-rescue personnel have begun to remove. “Hope is dwindling by the day.” The architect’s firm could not immediately be reached for comment. Morabito spokesman Brett Marcy said in a statement that the firm’s 2018 report spoke of “extensive and necessary structural repairs”. offered detailed findings and recommendations on condo building.” Condo association spokespeople, Marci and Maria Stagliano, both said in separate statements that they could not comment on claims made in the pending trial, but with investigators to understand why. Were working out why the building collapsed.

Planned Grand Jury Inquiry

State attorney for Miami-Dade County, Katherine Fernandez Rundle, said Tuesday she would convene a special grand jury to investigate building safety, in addition to any potential criminal investigations. President Joe Biden and his wife, Jill Biden, planned to visit the scene of the tragedy on Thursday. Fire officials have spoken of hearing minor noises from inside the rubble pile – acknowledging that such sounds may have come from settling of ruins – and finding sounds deep in the rubble are likely enough to sustain life. . But Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Chief Alan Kominsky said Tuesday that search personnel faced an uphill task, interrupted by intermittent rain and thunder, and sifting through 12 floors of compressed rubble on each other. Fell, “all within the same footprint.” A pile of rubble being taken to a collection site is being searched by detectives for bits of evidence that will be cataloged and photographed “for future investment”. Provocative motives,” said Miami-Dade Police Director Alfredo Ramirez. Hurricane season has arrived in Florida, and the state’s director of emergency management, Kevin Guthrie, said Wednesday that he was making contingency plans should a tropical storm hit the coast. needed.