Excavation Process News Today

Is here watching the process, difficult for the crews on site that have to do the work of cleaning up and getting in there so they can identify, find bodies. its really tough for officials who have to contact the families and let them know their loved one may have perished in the fire. >> nbcs steve patterson in california. thank you so much. again, 33 people now claimed as victims. still more than 50% of the building needs to be looked at. some of them, 17 years old or possibly younger in terms...

Possible. however, its a very cumbersome process. [ inaudible ]. >> yes. we have spent a considerable amount of time at the assistance center. i know the mayor has been there very much all throughout the last two days with the family spending a lot of time with them as has the sheriffs office, fire department and numerous volunteers. most of the families are aware and they know their loved one is likely a victim within the instructu structure. >> go ahead, sir. [ inaudible ]. >> we have now star...

In earnest as far as the excavation process. they bore through a huge hole in the west side of the facility. they started bringing massive machines in, backhoes, excavators to plow through, to start removing some of the debris. but the real work is being done by crews and people on the ground who literally have buckets, literally are taking pieces of this warehouse from the outside loading up buckets and removing safely so they can continue to get inside and do the work of identifying more bodie...

[ inaudible ]. >> a is process that gets activated that preserves all these options. >> hold on one second, please. were going to start from the left and work our way over. well make sure everyone gets some questions answered. okay? go ahead, sir. >> i wanted to ask the mayor -- [ inaudible ]. >> he said he felt this party should never have been allowed to happen. i want to ask you, should this party, event on friday night have been allowed to happen? >> everyone is understandably very emotional...

And go over a large tree. and there is this pile of leave -- >> hi, richard lui, msnbc headquarters. were taking you live to oakland, the left-hand side of the screen. were about to get another update from not only the mayor but other officials undergoing the tough process of understanding what has happened at the warehouse fire there in oakland, california. the death count at last we had heard from them, 30. lets listen in. >> at this point, the last number we gave out of deceased folks was 30....