Eleventh victim found in Florida building collapse

Eleventh victim found in Florida building collapse

Search-and-rescue teams pulled two more sets of remains from the concrete and steel rubble of a partially collapsed Florida condominium tower on Monday, bringing the death toll to 11 with 150 people still listed as missing four days after the disaster.

Gloria Tso reports.

An eleventh victim has been uncovered from the rubble of the catastrophic condo collapse near Miami.

Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said Monday first responders were working around the clock, as rescue efforts enter their fifth day.

"So in total, the number of people accounted for now stands at 136.

With 150 unaccounted.

The number of confirmed deaths is 11." The Champlain Towers South building in the town of Surfside partially collapsed in the early hours of Thursday as residents slept.

Rescue teams have used cranes, dogs and infrared scanners to search for survivors, but efforts have been hampered by pouring rain.

What caused nearly half the 40-year-old, 12-story, 156-unit building to cave in has yet to be determined, leaving nearby residents concerned about the safety of their own homes.

"There's going to have to be an in-depth analysis of the collapse because it's serious.

We're scared that if this happened nearby it might happen to us next.

They're going to have to check all the buildings." In 2018 an engineering firm retained by the building found serious concrete deterioration in the underground parking garage, and major structural damage in the concrete slab beneath the pool deck.

The engineer reported the deterioration would "expand exponentially" if it was not repaired in the near future.

But just a month later an inspector who reviewed the report told residents the tower was safe.

Reuters was unable to reach the inspector, who is no longer employed by Surfside, for comment.