Nina Le Troadec is sharing the terrifying moment she watched the Champlain Towers South building collapse in Surfside, Florida.
The 15-year-old, who lives in the nearby Champlain Towers East building, was peering out of her bedroom balcony window after hearing a large bang only to watch the destruction that would currently leave at least 11 people dead and 150 still unaccounted for, USA Today reports.
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"I rush to open my curtains and right as I look out, I see the second part of the building falling," she said. "I was in shock. I couldn't believe that just happened. I couldn't believe I just saw a building collapse right in front of my eyes."
Le Troadec is among hundreds of locals who saw the residential building collapse in Surfside, Florida around 1:15 a.m. last Thursday.
The high school junior was born in Switzerland but moved to Surfside with her mom and sister in 2012, the outlet reports. She has lived in the Chaplain Towers ever since.
Hours before the disaster, the teenager was hanging out with a friend. The two left her room messy, and Le Troadec stayed up late to clean when disaster stuck.
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"I remember seeing my old friend’s apartment, half of it gone. I knew a family there too and was so scared for them," she said.
"I also remember seeing people on the remaining balconies screaming and panicking. They were stuck there," she added. "At that moment, I didn’t know what was happening. I knew we had to leave our building. All I kept thinking was that’s going to happen to our building."
Nina, her mom, and sister hurried to the ground floor for safety.
"It was madness in the streets. So many emotions. Everyone was screaming, crying, and panicking," Nina recalled. "No one believed it. It felt like a nightmare that I couldn’t wake up from."
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She continued, "Everyone thought it was my building. It was just terrifying."
Amid the devastation, Nina shared how the collapse has brought local residents an incredible sense of community and strength.
"Everyone is working so hard in Surfside right now to help in any way possible. I am honestly very proud of our town and everyone outside our town trying to help. It means a lot," the teen said. "I hope I can help people understand this story better and how important and tragic this is."
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