SURFSIDE More than 200 search-and-rescue specialists, working in sopping and sweltering conditions, had moved 3 million pounds of concrete on the sixth day of a frenzied and mass effort to find survivors or the dead amid the ruins of a collapsed condo tower north of Miami.
Twenty local, state and federal agencies and a flood of volunteers from across the world had rushed to Surfside, a mostly residential community just north of Miami, in the hours and days following the collapse of a portion of the 13-story Champlain Towers South tower last Thursday.
The nation s focus on the disaster is set to heighten further with President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden planning to visit the site Thursday.
Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle says she plans to request a grand jury to probe condo collapse. Few words can describe the shock and horror that the collapse of the Champlain Towers South condominium building has evoked in all of us, she said.
The Champlain Towers South building partially collapsed in the early morning of Thursday, June 24.
Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle announced Tuesday that she plans to request a grand jury to probe the partial collapse of the Florida high-rise condo building that left at least 11 confirmed dead and dozens unaccounted for. Few words can describe the shock and horror that the collapse of the Champlain Towers South condominium building has evoked in all of us, she said.
Rescuers rotate in 12-hour shifts; none severely injured
Hundreds of Miami-Dade County fire rescue workers rotated in 12-hour shifts at the collapse site, searching for any signs of survivors. No rescue workers have been severely injured, but one worker took a 25-foot tumble, officials said. Every time there is an action, there is a reaction, said Raide Jadallah, assistant chief of rescue operations for the Miami-Dade County Fire Rescue Team, describing what he called a complex search-and-rescue operation.
Family members saw the danger firsthand Sunday when authorities allowed them to tour the site. They witnessed a rescuer tumble 25 feet down the mound, he said.
National News
Florida officials pledge multiple investigations into condo collapse
Elected officials pledged Tuesday to conduct multiple investigations into the collapse of an oceanfront Florida condo tower, vowing to convene a grand jury and to look closely at every possible angle to prevent any other building from experiencing such a catastrophic failure.
by Associated Press
Jun. 29 2021 @ 11:05pm
Search and rescue teams look for survivors at the Champlain Towers South residential condo, Tuesday, June 29, 2021, in Surfside, Fla. Many people were still unaccounted for after Thursday s fatal collapse. (Al Diaz /Miami Herald via AP)
SURFSIDE, Florida (AP) Elected officials pledged Tuesday to conduct multiple investigations into the collapse of an oceanfront Florida condo tower, vowing to convene a grand jury and to look closely at every possible angle to prevent any other building from experiencing such a catastrophic failure.