Search and rescue teams aren’t giving up hope in looking for survivors after the Miami condo collapse that has killed at least 12 people so far, according to Mayor Daniella Levine Cava.
As of Tuesday, 125 people have been accounted for, with another 149 still missing, according to officials. Although the collapse is one of the most difficult sites the Israeli National Rescue Unit, which is assisting in rescue efforts, has worked, team leaders say there’s still a window of hope.
“Until one week, I have a solid hope that we will find someone. After one week, it’s minor,” Col. Golan Vach, commander of the rescue unit, told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer.
This comes five days after the Champlain Towers South condo building partially collapsed Thursday night. Officials are still unsure of the cause of the collapse but say reports of previous structural integrity concerns may be to blame.
Jean Wodnicki, the president of the condominium association, wrote a letter to residents on April 9, detailing the need for repairs to “major structural damage” within the concrete slabs below the pool deck. The letter referenced a 2018 report from Frank Morabito that found “most of the concrete deterioration needs to be repaired in a timely fashion.”
Wodnicki used the report to tell residents the importance of the $15 million renovations they were expected to fund.
“This building collapsed very, very badly, if I can use this word, because it collapsed into itself,” Vach said. “And the bedrooms that we are looking for, because the people (slept) in the bedrooms, are under 4 or 5 meters (13 to 16 feet) of concrete.”
The rescue team — comprised of engineers, search and rescue experts, and others — have removed more than 3 million pounds of concrete from the site piece by piece, according to Miami-Dade Fire Chief Alan Cominsky.
Workers have also dealt with overhanging debris from portions of the building that are still standing, making the rescue operation more difficult. One emergency responder was transported to the hospital in stable condition for a medical evaluation for dehydration, Comisky said.
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The rescue team will continue searching for those who are missing “until they are found,” Gov. Ron DeSantis said in a news conference Tuesday morning.
President Joe Biden plans to visit the site on Thursday to meet with the victims’ families and first responders.
