As rescuers continue to pour through the wreckage of the collapsed Surfside condo to search for the 159 people still missing, officials revealed that the building had previously been cited for structural damage.
The revelations came to light in a Saturday morning press conference with an engineering report from 2018.
The report detailed "failing concrete repairs in the garage" and "concrete slabs showing distress." Pictures documented cracks in parking garage columns and exposed steel reinforcements.
The structural engineering firm that issued the report recommended for the Champlain Towers South Condominium to remove and replace much of the damaged structure underneath the building, stating that “the required maintenance is needed to properly maintain this existing residential property.”
A Fort Lauderdale attorney, who handles structural failure cases, told NPR that the report doesn’t show why the building collapsed, but it presented warnings.
159 people are still missing and five people have died.
The cause of the condominium’s collapse is still under investigation.
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