Miami-Dade County Commissioner Sally Heyman says it is not clear how many people were inside the residential building in Surfside when it collapsed since it was occupied by a mix of full-time and seasonal residents and renters.
“It’s hard to get a count on it,” Heyman tells CNN. “It is 51 people who were supposedly residing there at the time [and] have not either called out or had people call in to reach them.”
A section of a partially collapsed building is seen early on June 24, 2021, in the Surfside area of Miami, Florida. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
“But you don’t know between vacations or anything else. So we’re still waiting. And unfortunately, the hope is still there, but it’s waning,” she says.
Around 55 apartments were affected by the collapse, according to Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Assistant Chief Ray Jadallah, who told a news conference that emergency services arrived at the scene at around 1:30 am, evacuating 35 people from the building.
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