A building that collapsed had "major structural damage" and needed widespread repairs before it killed at least five people says a new report.
A 2018 engineering report from Morabito Consultants claimed the apartment in Miami, southeastern Florida had several issues.
A report in The Sun said: “The failed waterproofing is causing major structural damage to the concrete structural slab below these areas."
“Failure to replace the waterproofing in the near future will cause the extent of the concrete deterioration to expand exponentially," the report stated.
It also cited "gross structural flaws" of Champlain Towers South that required substantial repair of the damaged slabs.
The engineering report was reported by wire agency The Associated Press while crews faced a race against time attempting to pull any survivors from the monstrous rubble.
As of Saturday, five people have been confirmed dead, and the number of people unaccounted for 156. Officials said 130 people were accounted for.
Rescuers teams continue to sift through the shattered concrete mountain tapping for survivors to hopefully call out and confirm they are alive.
Officials said The t eams were concentrating their resource on where they hear sounds.
Dr Howard Lieberman, a Miami-Dade Fire Rescue trauma surgeon told CNN
"As time’s running out they might be getting a little more sick or ill – not as vocal as before – but, like I said, we’re going to keep searching.
"I think these guys, you know, that’s their mindset also, they’re just going to keep going, keep going, keep going until, like I said, every stone is turned over and all the rubble is removed."
The first victim was Stacie Fang who helped prop her 15-year-old son from the rubble to safety above.
The 54-year-old, who was lifted from the debris, succumbed to her wounds after she was treated at Aventura Hospital and Medical Center.
Her son, Jonah Handler was rescued by firefighters after the apartment building came down.
Miami-Dade Police Department released another name, Manuel LaFont, on Saturday who lived in Apartment No. 801.
The 54-year-old is reported to be from Houston, Texas clickHouston said.
Two missing people found in the rubble have been identified as Antonio and Gladys Lozano, both in their 80s.
Their son informed the AP they had enjoyed a Thursday night family dinner together.
Retired Miami-area elementary school physical education teacher Arnie Notkin and his wife, Myriam, have not yet been found.
Fortuna Smukler, a friend of the couple said: "It would be a miracle if they’re found alive."
WPLG said the medical examiner's office was in the process of securing relatives' DNA samples to speed up the identification process.
But the rescue mission may soon become a recovery mission as more human remains are discovered.
It’s still being determined what caused the collapse and "no certainty" that the damage detailed in the report may have caused or played a part in the tragedy.
The engineering firm found there were more minor issues with the parking lot concrete but some columns were described as showing exposed and aging rebar, Associated Press said.
The report said that underneath the pool deck “where the slab had been epoxy-injected, new cracks were radiating from the originally repaired cracks,” the AP reported.
Morabito Consultants verified the report’s authenticity and added that there were “detailed significant cracks and breaks in the concrete, which required repairs to ensure the safety of the residents and the public.”
Gregg Schlesinger, a lawyer and former construction project engineer suggested the lack of urgency to tend to structural issues was inexcusable.
Schlesinger told AP “The building speaks to us. It is telling us we have a serious problem
“They (building managers) kicked the can down the road. The maintenance was improper.
“These were all red flags that needed to be addressed. They weren’t.”
