Florida: Joe Biden meets with Surfside victims families
What we know about the demolition
At around 4.p.m., demolition crews began drilling holes into the concrete of the still-standing portion of Champlain Towers South, Jadallah said.
The suspension of the search and rescue work was a necessary safety measure as the drilling could cause the structure to collapse, he added, stressing that if it does, it s just going to collapse without warning.
The building won t come down until Monday at the earliest, Jadallah said.
Governor Ron DeSantis said the demolition could be completed within 36 hours.
Officials had earlier said the work could take weeks, but DeSantis remarks entailed minimal work stoppage from the search and rescue teams.
Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett discusses the tragedy on Fox News Live
More than a week after a 12-story building collapse left at least 24 people dead and more than 100 still unaccounted for, Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett said the horrible tragedy has devastated the town while also bringing out the best in the community. It’s been a tale of two cities, where it’s created horror but it’s also brought out the most incredible amount of support and love and charity that you could ever believe, Burkett told Fox News.
Search and rescue teams had to temporarily pause operations around 4 p.m. on Saturday while engineers assess the rubble and prepare for demolition of the part of the building that still stands, fearing it might not withstand the winds from Tropical Storm Elsa, should it make landfall near the site.
With storm looming, demolition planned for collapsed condo
Poll
Yes
Search and rescue personnel remove remains on a stretcher as they work atop the rubble at the Champlain Towers South condo building where scores of people remain missing more than a week after it partially collapsed, Friday, July 2, 2021, in Surfside, Fla. Rescue efforts resumed Thursday evening after being halted for most of the day over concerns about the stability of the remaining structure.(AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
SURFSIDE, Fla. (AP) – The search and rescue mission at the collapsed Florida condominium has been suspended as a crew prepares for the demolition of the remainder of the building, a fire official said Saturday.
Demolition preparations begin at condo with storm looming
Poll
Yes
Search and rescue personnel remove remains on a stretcher as they work atop the rubble at the Champlain Towers South condo building where scores of people remain missing more than a week after it partially collapsed, Friday, July 2, 2021, in Surfside, Fla. Rescue efforts resumed Thursday evening after being halted for most of the day over concerns about the stability of the remaining structure.(AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
SURFSIDE, Fla. (AP) – Rescuers suspended their search for the living and the dead in the rubble of a collapsed South Florida condo building Saturday to allow crews to start preparing the unstable remainder of the structure for demolition ahead of a tropical storm.
Surfside, Florida condo collapse: Search and rescue efforts paused for demolition preparation cnn.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from cnn.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.