SURFSIDE, Fla. — Three more bodies have been discovered at the site of Surfside condo collapse, raising the death toll to 27 as rescue crews resumed efforts Monday following the successful demolition of what was left of the remaining building.
Miami-Dade Fire-Rescue officials made the grim announcement to family members at a private briefing Monday morning, a week and a half after the Champlain Towers South building suddenly collapsed, spurring a massive and complicated rescue effort. More than 115 people remain missing in what could be one of the deadliest building failures in U.S. history
The agonizing search for survivors had been complicated by unstable conditions at the site, with shifting rubble and the possibility of the remaining tower collapsing atop rescue crews. On Saturday, officials paused the search as demolition experts began planting explosives into concrete pillars, hoping to implode the building as safely as possible — and minimally disturbing the rubble pile where victims' bodies are trapped.
On Sunday night, at about 10:30 p.m. the controlled explosion sent a plume of dust and smoke into the sky. The cloud blew west into the neighborhood of single-family homes that make up the sleepy beach town of Surfside. Within minutes, a thick haze enveloped the neighborhood. But by 11 p.m., the air cleared and rescue crews had resumed their work, now with fresh rubble to scour.
Early Monday, two cranes could be seen lifting cement from the giant rubble pile. To the south of the original collapsed area, parts of the roof sat atop the rubble. Air conditioning units, halved balconies and curled-up rebar could be seen sticking out of the debris. Rescue teams wearing respirators were climbing through the mountain.
Also on Monday, Gov. Ron DeSantis was seen touring the site of the rubble with his entourage, while a few dozen people passed through the memorial wall on 88th to pay their respects. The air was still thick with dust in the area of the rubble.
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