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US President Joe Biden has said it is still possible to find survivors in the rubble of a building that collapsed last week near Miami in Florida.
Speaking after meeting families of people who died or are still missing, he said they were going through hell , and that federal funding for the rescue effort would continue for a month.
He also said it was essential to find out what caused the collapse.
Eighteen bodies have been recovered but 145 people are still unaccounted for.
Rescue efforts resumed on Thursday evening after a 15-hour halt amid concerns about the stability of the remaining structure of the Champlain Towers South. Nobody has been pulled alive from the rubble since the first hours after the disaster.
An aerial after the partial collapse of the 12-story Champlain Towers South condo building (Getty)
Surfside officials investigated overgrown hedges, lighting that disturbed turtles at the beach and possible short-term rental violations in the years leading to the condominium’s collapse but not the building’s structural integrity, records released by the town show.
The letter citing overgrown hedges at Champlain Towers South was sent in May, a month before the 12-story condominium at 8777 Collins Avenue pancaked last Thursday. The death toll now stands at 18, with 145 unaccounted for. The search and rescue mission was temporarily halted due to concerns that the part of the building still standing could also collapse.