Israel search and rescue team
Many of those who were in the partially collapsed Champlain Towers South building were Jewish, and as many as 20 of the missing Friday are of the faith, Maor Elbaz-Starinsky, Israel's consul general in Miami, told USA TODAY.īuilding collapse in Miami: Multiple factors could have contributed, experts say Authorities have been DNA-testing relatives to help identify bodies. They marched onto the site Sunday morning to join the dangerous search at the 12-story beachfront building, where air conditioners and furniture still occasionally fall. The members of the team from Israel's Home Front Command are experts in engineering and social care efforts. Journalists were kept away during the visit to the site, where a crane has been lifting away large pieces of debris.Ī team of Israeli search-and-rescue specialists joined efforts to find survivors and recover bodies from the site. President Joe Biden declared the collapse a disaster, a necessary step for helping secure federal assistance, aid and reimbursements.Īnguished family members, many upset at the slow pace of recovery, were given a private tour of the area Sunday afternoon. Neighboring Miami Beach declared a state of emergency Sunday, smoothing the way for additional state and federal assistance.
They said sending too many searchers into the area could risk hurting any survivors or other rescue workers by causing collapses. Authorities said they have enough staff to maximize search efforts, taking safety into account. About 70 people crammed into a room with chairs and blue gym mats on the floor.ĭuring the news conference, Levine Cava appeared on the verge of tears, while other officials repeatedly thanked other agencies and the federal government for their offers of assistance. The American Red Cross set up a reunification site for family and friends near the site of the partial building collapse of a 12-story condominium early Thursday, June 24, 2021, in Surfside, Fla. "Obviously you're going to start to see a lot of major debris that's going to be moved out of there." “They're looking for if there are voids, where they could potentially rescue somebody, that's kind of the name of the game," DeSantis said.
Ron DeSantis said rescue work is proceeding slowly in part because the 136-unit building's rubble itself has "forensic" value and is being trucked to a warehouse for investigation into the cause of the collapse. “As a result of that, we were able to recover four additional bodies in the rubble, as well as additional human remains,” County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said at a morning news conference. The trench provided access to new areas, Miami-Dade County authorities said. – Nine people are confirmed dead and at least 150 remain missing as the painstaking and dangerous search for survivors from a condo building collapse continued Sunday in this seaside town north of Miami Beach.Īccompanied by dogs trained to find people and bodies, searchers dug a 40-foot-deep trench through the site to assist with their efforts, which were temporarily halted early Sunday when the rubble shifted.