Rescue operations in the Miami suburb of Surfside entered the fifth day on Monday. Authorities have urged people to keep hopes that survivors may be found in the rubble of a collapsed condo building.
on sunday night Nine people have died and more than 150 are missing. No survivors have been found since Thursday at the ruins of Champlain Towers South, where rescue teams have been cautiously searching for signs of life 24 hours a day.
Andy Alvarez, deputy commander of incidents with Miami-Dade Rescue, told ABC on Monday that rescuers were still hopeful.
“This is a frenzied search to see that hope. The miracle continues to see who we can remove from the building,” Alvarez said.
Alvarez said rescue teams found some gaps in the rubble. Most of them are in the basement and near the garage.
“We had more than 80 rescue workers each time the walls were torn down. in a frenzied effort to try to help those who are still surviving and to get to the gaps we always knew existed in these buildings,” Alvarez said.
Alvarez said the weather was not what was expected because of humidity, rain and heat.
“We endure because we all hold on to that hope. faith that we can help someone,” Alvarez said. “We are working tirelessly to try to bring the victims under the rubble and rescue them.”
The search for survivors includes more than 300 emergency personnel, international experts and equipment. This includes underground sonar systems.
Efforts are still underway to determine the cause of the collapse. Structural engineers have identified various theories. There are many reasons why buildings can collapse. But determining the cause can take months or even years.
In 2018, engineers raised concerns about There was “significant structural damage” to the tower, but the report did not indicate that the tower was at risk of collapse.
The engineering report dated October 8, 2018 appears to be discussed at the Champlain Tower South Condominium Association board meeting next month. at the November meeting Surfside building officials said. “The building is in very good condition,” according to meeting minutes obtained by NPR.
The building collapsed at about 1:30 a.m. on Thursday. No survivors were found in the first hours after the fall.
Rescuers dug a trench 125 feet long, 20 feet wide and 40 feet deep overnight on Saturday. and found the body, but no survivors.
Families of the missing traveled by bus on Sunday to where they could see rescue teams dig through the rubble and move large sections with cranes. An official traveling with the family told the Miami-Herald that many shouted the names of their loved ones in hopes they would hear.
Dianne Ohayon, whose parents Myriam and Arnie Notkin were in the building, told the Associated Press: “We are waiting for an answer. that’s what we want It’s hard to get through these long days and we still don’t have any answers.”
Alan Kominski, Head of Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Emphasize that action must be slow and careful to protect all rescuers and survivors.
“We cannot go in and move things erratically. Because that will have the worst possible outcome,” Kominski said on Sunday.
“Hope – that’s what I’m focusing on,” Kominski said. “So I will continue to do as much as I can. That’s the driving message.”
The latest four victims identified by police are Christina Beatrice Elvira, 74, Leon Olewkovicz, 80, Anna Ortiz, 46, and Luis Bermudez, age 26
Bermúdez lives on the seventh floor of the building. His father, Luis Bermúdez, wrote to his son on Facebook: “God decided that he needed another angel in heaven. I still do not believe I love you and will love you forever.”
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