Surfside condo tragedy death toll reaches 28, with 117 still missing

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• As of Monday, rescuers have retrieved over 28 bodies from the collapsed condominium in Surfside, Florida.
• Authorities were able to conduct a careful demolition of the remaining structure left from the collapse last Sunday.
• There were still 117 victims missing as search-and-rescue ops were boosted following the controlled demolition.

The collapsed Surfside condominium has reached at least 28 fatalities as of Monday following the successful careful demolition of the remaining structure of the building the day before, according to authorities.

Early Monday, rescuers were able to retrieve three bodies from the scene and the 28th victim was reported the same day in the afternoon during a news conference.

The demolition was also called for due to Tropical Storm Elsa which could jeopardize the operations.

“The search-and-rescue team has been able to search all sections of the grid on the collapse, following the building demolition,” Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said during a news conference.

Authorities are hopeful of finding additional survivors, even if it seems impossible, as rescue teams from both local and international groups have been working tirelessly to recover victims.

“I’m in awe of the men and women of the … task force teams who’ve been continuing to brave dangerous and changing conditions. For 12 days, fire, smoke, and now wind and torrential rain – they are continuing the mission and the search of a collapse area,” Levine Cava said, adding that “Truly, they live to save lives.”

According to Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett, the scenery looks “busier and more active now” compared to the initial rescue ops.

Investigations are still ongoing as to what exactly caused the collapse of the Champlain Towers South. A previous engineering report released in 2018 found that the building had structural flaws. A grand jury examination is being commissioned by the authorities in accordance with the report.

There remain over 117 missing people since the tragedy occurred on June 24.

Search-and-rescue operations have been amplified following the controlled demolition. Efforts to recover the unaccounted for people were almost round-the-clock despite the bad weather and dangerous rubble shifting.

Source: REUTERS