Video shows fire rescue personnel working to find people trapped under the rubble
Fire rescue crews were seen working to find anyone buried under the rubble following the partial building collapse in Surfside.
A video tweeted by the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Department showed rescue personnel working in the basement parking garage at Champlain Towers.
Watch the video below:
American Red Cross assisting people displaced by building collapse
From CNN’s Rosa Flores, Bonney Kapp and Hollie Silverman
The American Red Cross is assisting people displaced by the building collapse in Surfside, a statement said Thursday.
In conjunction with the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Department and other local authorities, American Red Cross is working to help people displaced in the Champlain Towers collapse, according to the statement.
“Families are dealing with the pain of losing their homes and the uncertainty of missing loved ones. To help them cope, the American Red Cross is finding safe places to stay for residents and others displaced by the crisis,” the statement said.
“With Red Cross volunteers on the ground and more on their way, we are meeting families where they are by providing the basics like food and water—and offering mental health support and spiritual care as survivors begin to process their emotions,” they added.
Still no cause determined for the building collapse, mayor says
From CNN’s Jamiel Lynch and Hollie Silverman
There is still no official cause of the partial building collapse, Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said during an afternoon news conference.
Structural engineers will be involved in the investigation as well as the city of Surfside and the fire department, she said.
According to the Miami-Dade County Police Department, they will investigate the incident after search and rescue operations are completed.
37 people have been pulled from the rubble, fire official says
From CNN’s Jamiel Lynch and Hollie Silverman
Thirty-seven people were pulled out of the rubble following the building collapse in Surfside, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Assistant Fire Chief Ray Jadallah said.
At least 11 people with injuries have been treated and four of those were transported, the assistant chief said. CNN reported earlier there is at least one person dead from the collapse.
Jadallah said there was a small fire that was extinguished earlier due to the shifting of the building, he said. Every time there is a shift in the rubble, there are chances for small fires to start in the building.
Rescuers plan to continue search and rescue operations through the night.
Watch here:
Florida congresswoman calls for a robust federal response to building collapse
From CNN’s Josiah Ryan
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who represents Surfside, Florida, where the condominium collapsed, called for “whole of government… response,” and said she has already coordinated with the White House for federal assistance.
“My responsibility is to make sure there can be no daylight between federal, state and local governments and ensuring we have the assistance of the federal government to make sure our community has the resources it needs,” she said, speaking near the building collapse.
Wasserman Schultz said she had spoken with White House chief of staff Ron Klain while waiting for her flight back to Florida this morning and was assured the Biden administration “is making sure everything his place” to offer federal aide.
The Florida congresswoman then fought back tears as she described her visit to the site before the news conference.
“The humanity that we see, the evidence of people living their daily lives and everything evaporating in an instant is just enormously devastating,” she said.
Watch here:
Firefighters have heard sounds from underneath the rubble, fire official says
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Assistant Chief Ray Jadallah confirmed that sounds have been heard from underneath the rubble following the building collapse.
“All operations are occurring underneath the rubble. They are occurring underneath the parking garage where we have teams of firefighters constantly as they continue making cuts, breaches and placing sonar devices, search cams to locate victims,” Jadallah said during a news conference in Surfside this afternoon.
Jadallah added: “We did receive sounds. Not necessarily people talking, but sounds. What sounds like people banging, not people but sounds of a possibility of a banging. We haven’t heard any voices coming from the pile.”
Here’s where you can find information about missing loved ones
According to Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, 102 people have been accounted for in the building collapse in Surfside, Florida, but at least 99 people are still unaccounted for as search and rescue efforts continue.
A family reunification center has been set-up for anyone looking for missing people. According to the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Department, it is located at: 9301 Collins Avenue, Surfside, Florida.
Emergency officials are also asking people to call 305-614-1819 if they have relatives who are unaccounted for.
102 people accounted for and at least 99 still missing following building collapse, mayor says
Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said there are 102 people who have been accounted for following the partial collapse of a building in Surfside.
“I want to give you a top number, very encouraging, 102 people have been accounted for. That’s double what we were able to report last time,” Levine Cava said at a news conference this afternoon. “One hundred and two people from the towers, their locations are known and they are safe.
The mayor said there are still at least 99 people who are unaccounted for following the building collapse.
NOW: Police provide an update on building collapse
Law enforcement officials are providing an update right now on the building collapse in Surfside, Florida.
According to spokesperson from the department, at least 99 people are unaccounted for after the collapse.
