Search back on in Surfside, Florida, as death toll rises to 27

By AP 5 July 2021, 5:55 pm

Edit

Rescue workers continue working on a pile of debris after the partially collapsed 12-story Champlain Towers South condo was taken down with a controlled demolition on July 5, 2021 in Surfside, Florida (Saul MARTINEZ / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)

Rescuers search for victims of a collapsed South Florida condo building through fresh rubble today after crews set off a string of explosives that brought down the last of the structure, allowing search efforts to resume.

Three more victims were discovered in the newly accessible pile, Miami-Dade Assistant Fire Chief Raide Jadallah told family members, raising the death toll to 27 people. More than 115 people remain unaccounted for.

The demolition opened up a previously unreachable area for rescuers, though the chances of finding any survivors there waned, Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava says on NBC’s “Today.”

“We understand that families realize the fact that time has gone by, they realize that the chances are growing all dimmer,” she said. “They are with us, they know what we’ve been doing every step of the way.”