Rescue teams today continued searching the rubble of the Surfside, Fla., condominium that partially collapsed this week following a demolition of the remainder of the building.
The right wing of the 40-year-old Champlain Towers South building unexpectedly collapsed in the early morning hours of June 24, when many of its residents were sleeping. So far, 24 deaths have been confirmed due to the collapse and 121 people are still unaccounted for.
Authorities decided to take down the remaining sections of the building immediately on Sunday to prevent winds from approaching Tropical Storm Elsa from toppling the structure, reported USA Today.
Through a controlled demolition, the formerly 12-story building was reduced to around 2 stories worth of rubble, said the outlet.
Mayor Charles Burkett of Surfside, the town near Miami Beach where the building was located, said the demolition could open up about one-third of the rubble pile to search and rescue teams. Since the collapse, rescue teams had to avoid parts of the site due to falling debris such as air conditioner units and due to the instability of the building.
People who lived in the part of the building that did not collapse were not able to reenter to get their possessions.
“Those who were forced to evacuate the remaining portion of the building left their entire lives behind. We know that," Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said. "We’re deeply, deeply concerned and empathetic to how extraordinarily difficult this time is for them and their families.”
Miami-Dade police scheduled a July 5 media briefing, but it is unclear whether it is related to the condominium demolition.
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