Amid the scorching heat and high humidity, Florida rescue teams, supported by reinforcements from Israel and Mexico, continued to search for the wreckage of a 12-story building that collapsed Thursday morning in Surfside, about 20 kilometers from downtown Miami.
“The search continues,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said at a press conference this Monday, although the likelihood of finding living people in the ruins of the Champlain Towers complex has diminished over time.
Miami-Dade County Mayor Danielle Levin Kawa said a new body was found this morning, bringing the confirmed death toll to ten, and another 151 people still missing after 55 apartments collapsed.
According to the diplomatic representative of Venezuela, two citizens of Venezuela were killed. They were identified as 79-year-old Leon Olivkovich and his wife, 74-year-old Christina Elvira, both living in the United States. Miami-Dade police said the bodies were found on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.
There are a total of 29 Hispanics with no news about them: nine from Argentina, six from Colombia, six from Paraguay, four from Venezuela, three from Uruguay and one from Chile.
Canada also reported that at least four of its citizens may be “affected.”
The missing Hispanics included Sofia Lopez Moreira, the daughter-in-law of the President of Paraguay, her husband Luis Pettengill and three minors, as well as Lady Luna Villalba, who traveled with them as a nanny, according to information from the government of Paraguay.
Chilean lawyer Claudio Bonnefoy, a relative of former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet, is also on the wanted list. His daughter, Pascal Bonnefoy, who traveled to Miami to closely monitor the rescue efforts, stressed the rescuers’ “tireless” work, but urged further investigation.
“We got a lot of solidarity and it was very good, but I think we should investigate the reasons,” he told CNN.
US President Joe Biden, who has already declared a state of emergency allowing federal aid, said the government is ready for “any support or assistance needed.”
You can still find survivors
Located on the seafront, the south tower of the Champlain Towers collapsed at about 01:00 on June 24. Video surveillance recorded the fall in seconds.
One of the first respondents, Maggie Castro of the Miami-Dade Fire Department, said that “people were probably in bed when this happened.”
“It seems slow, but we are moving as fast as possible,” he told AFP. “There are areas with potential air pockets where there could be survivors. If we aggressively run through the rubble, we will destroy these spaces. “
The missing couple’s grandson, Arnie and Miriam Notkin, said their family received 16 calls from their grandparents’ landlines, although they only heard noise.
“We’re trying to figure out what’s going on,” Jake Samuelson told Local News 10, not knowing if the connections were from his grandparents or were caused by a mechanical failure. The last ones were on Friday.
Two huge cranes and tracking dogs supported the search and rescue efforts. The teams dug a huge 38 x 6 x 12 meters trench across a mountain of twisted concrete and iron, officials said, noting that all rubble of “forensic value” had been sent to a large warehouse for inspection.
“A thorough investigation of the reasons that led to this tragedy will be carried out,” promised Levin Kava.
The building’s 2018 report already pointed to “significant structural damage” as well as “cracks” in the building’s garage, according to documents released Friday.
“The waterproofing under the edge of the pool and the vehicle access road (…) is out of order and therefore must be completely removed and replaced,” said specialist Frank Morabito, director of Morabito Consultores, demanding repairs “inside within a reasonable time” without specifying at the risk of collapse.
The building, built in 1981, was about to begin scheduled renovation in the near future, and work on the roof had already begun.
Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett said housing is being sought for anyone wishing to leave the nearly identical tower building a block away, although no structural problems have been identified at the location.
