An emergency crew working to uncover survivors in the Surfside building collapse has been working around the clock and refused to leave despite being told they can go home, the mayor of Miami-Dade Levine Cava told reporters on Wednesday.
"Our Miami-Dade County Task Force 1 members, who've been here since the beginning… they could go home, but they are still here," she said, according to WSVN.
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State officials have already said that they do not expect to find any more survivors, with the current death toll at 60, and instead, they are focused on recovering those lost under the rubble.
After clearing the last area where they expected to find pockets free of debris where survivors could be, the decision was made to end rescue efforts.
"Our hearts still hoped to find survivors, but our experience and expertise indicated that was no longer possible," Alan Cominsky, the fire chief, said.
The search crews shared a moment of silence, which was shared on Twitter.
Searchers also continued through the arrival of Tropical Storm Elsa, though there was a brief pause while authorities had to demolish the remainder of the building that was still standing.
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At the beginning of the month President Biden made his way to the site sharing his condolences. Miami basketball legend Dwayne Wade even made his way to the site to pay his respects.