Timeline: Biden grieves with victims’ families as search resumes at collapsed condo
WASHINGTON, July 2– Rescue crew have been working around the clock for survivors, more than a week after the collapse of a 12- story condominium in Surfside, in the southeastern U.S. state Florida. –The renewed search effort began shortly after a visit to the site by U.S. President Joe Biden, who pledged federal assistance and offered condolences to the victims’…
WASHINGTON, July 2 (Xinhua) — Rescue crew have been working around the clock for survivors, more than a week after the collapse of a 12-story condominium in Surfside, in the southeastern U.S. state Florida.
The condo collapse, likely the deadliest non-deliberate structural failure in U.S. history, has so far claimed 18 lives, with another 145 people still missing and feared trapped in the heaps of splintered rubble and twisted metal, according to local authorities.
Here is a timeline of the condo collapse:
July 1:
— Rescue-and-recovery operations resumed on the site of the collapsed condo, nearly 15 hours after the search for survivors was suspended for safety concerns over the stability of the remaining structure.
— The renewed search effort began shortly after a visit to the site by U.S. President Joe Biden, who pledged federal assistance and offered condolences to the victims’ families.
— Local officials were working on plans to safely tear down what’s left of the condo while teams pressed on with their search efforts.
June 30:
— As rescue operations entered Day 7, the number of people unaccounted for was down to 147, and those accounted for were at 139, Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava confirmed earlier in a press conference.
— After the bodies of two children, aged four and 10, were discovered later, the death toll from the condo collapse in Surfside, Florida, has grown to 18, local authorities announced.
June 29:
— At least 12 people have died and 149 others remained unaccounted for in the condo collapse, according to local officials.
— President Biden and first lady Jill Biden would visit Surfside, Florida, later this week in wake of the collapse, the White House announced.
— Experts said investigations into what caused the collapse will possibly take years.
June 28:
— At least 11 were killed, 136 accounted for and some 150 people unaccounted for following the condo collapse in Florida, Miami-Dade County’s mayor told a news conference.
— Rescue efforts were still underway as searchers continued to comb through the ruins of the building for possible survivors.
— The cause of the collapse remained under investigation.
June 27:
— The death toll has risen to nine as more bodies were found overnight in the ongoing search and rescue efforts, authorities said.
— More than 150 people were still missing, as rescue teams picked through the rubble for a fourth day without detecting further signs of life.
June 26:
— The death toll from the building collapse in Florida has risen to five while the number of missing people rose to at least 159, local media reported.
— Firefighters made progress on removing the smoldering fire and smoke beneath the rubble, allowing rescuers to search with fewer limitations, officials said.
June 25:
— At least four people have been confirmed dead while the number of missing rose to at least 159, local media reported.
— Three more people were found in the rubble overnight and 120 people were accounted for, said the county mayor.
— Biden declared a state of emergency for Florida, directing the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Department of Homeland Security to provide federal resources and assist local rescue efforts.
June 24:
— At least one person was killed and 12 others were injured, while 99 people were possibly missing after a 12-story residential building partially collapsed in Miami-Dade County, Florida, authorities said.
— The Champlain Towers South condominium, built in 1981, partially collapsed around 1:30 a.m. local time (about 0530 GMT) in the beachside town of Surfside, about 6 miles (around 9.6 km) north of Miami Beach.
— So far at least 35 people were trapped in the building and two others from beneath the rubble have been rescued, officials confirmed.
— Florida Governor Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency in Miami-Dade County. Enditem