Home » [Update]12-story building collapsed in Florida, 99 people missing | Miami | Epoch Times

[Update]12-story building collapsed in Florida, 99 people missing | Miami | Epoch Times

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[Epoch Times June 24, 2021](Epoch Times reporter Li Yan comprehensive report) Authorities say that a 12-story oceanfront apartment building in Miami partially collapsed early Thursday morning (June 24), killing at least one person. . The whereabouts of 99 people are unknown, and a large-scale search and rescue operation is underway.

The Miami-Dade Rescue Fire said on Twitter that the accident occurred in Surfside, a few miles north of Miami Beach. More than 80 technical and rescue teams came to the scene. Firefighters are lifting the rubble-8777 Collins Ave. (8777 Collins Ave.), hoping to find survivors from the rubble so that they can be rescued.

Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett confirmed that at least one person died; at least 10 people were treated at the scene.

On June 24, 2021, an apartment building in Surfside, north of Miami Beach, partially collapsed, triggering a major emergency response. The picture shows emergency personnel rushing to the scene. (CHANDAN KHANNA / AFP)

A nearby hospital told NBC News that it had received three patients, two of whom were in critical condition.

“This is a terrible disaster. In the United States, buildings will not collapse.” Burkert told CNN that 50 hotel rooms next to the residential building were also evacuated.

On June 24, 2021, an apartment building in Surfside, north of Miami Beach, partially collapsed, triggering a major emergency response. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

The police blocked the nearby roads, and dozens of fire and rescue vehicles, ambulances and police cars gathered in the area. The building is part of Champlain Towers South and was built in 1981. The authorities have not reported any casualties, nor can they tell how many people live in this building.

Marian Cruz of the Miami-Dade Fire Brigade said: “We are at the scene, so the incident is still ongoing. What I can tell you is that this building has 12 floors. The entire back side of the building has collapsed. “(Click here to watch the video.

Robert Miessler, a real estate agent who lives nearby, told The Epoch Times reporter, “This building is undergoing renovation. Perhaps an accident occurred during the renovation.”

On June 24, 2021, an apartment building in Surfside, north of Miami Beach, partially collapsed, triggering a major emergency response. (CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images)

Miesler said: “This building is filled with people. It is really a tragedy. Some people have lost their lives and loved ones. Even those who have not lost their lives have lost their homes.”

On June 24, 2021, an apartment building in Surfside, north of Miami Beach, partially collapsed, triggering a major emergency response. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Michael Harp, who lives in Sunny Isles a few blocks away, said: “A friend of mine lives in this area. He heard a loud noise when the building fell, but he thought it was thundering. It was only in the morning that this building had collapsed.”

Harp said he didn’t know how many people were injured or killed, but he knew that some people in this building had gone on vacation. He said that one of his friends lived in this building, but he went on vacation and escaped the disaster.

On June 24, 2021, an apartment building in Surfside, north of Miami Beach, partially collapsed, triggering a major emergency response. (Wu Weixi/Epoch Times)

Santo Mejil, 50, told the Miami Herald that his wife was the night caretaker of an old lady in the community. His wife called from a unit on the ninth floor of the South Building.

“She said she heard a huge explosion. It felt like an earthquake.” Megill said.

Photos and videos from the scene showed that the collapse affected half of the building, and piles of rubble and debris filled the area outside the building. The collapse also cast a thin layer of dust on the car two blocks away.

The area is a mixture of old and new apartments, houses, apartments and hotels. Restaurants and shops provide services to internationally diverse residents and tourists. The neighborhood contrasts sharply with the hustle and bustle of South Beach, giving it a slower-paced neighborhood feel.

On June 24, 2021, an apartment building in Surfside, north of Miami Beach, partially collapsed, triggering a major emergency response. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images) (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

As the search and rescue of the collapsed building continues, a strong storm is approaching Surfside.

A strong storm with squally winds, lightning and even waterspouts is heading west to the coastal area of ​​Miami, which may affect the ongoing search and rescue efforts.

Florida Governor: Be prepared for bad news

On June 24, 2021, an apartment building in Surfside, north of Miami Beach, partially collapsed, triggering a major emergency response. The picture shows the governor of Florida Ron DeSantis (middle) coming to the scene. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said that local and state government officials hope to rescue more people from the collapsed building. However, “Given the destruction we have seen, we are mentally preparing to hear some bad news.”

DeSantis thanked the first responders at a press conference in Tampa on Thursday (June 24) morning.

DeSantis said: “Quick response is very important, I do think it saves lives. I want to thank those people for their courage in doing this.”

DeSantis said he had talked with the mayor of Surfside, Florida, and local officials, and sent emergency personnel to the area to assist.

The governor said that he will travel to South Florida later today.

County head: 51 people are believed to live in the collapsed building and their whereabouts are unknown

On June 24, 2021, an apartment building in Surfside, north of Miami Beach, partially collapsed, triggering a major emergency response. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Miami Dade County Mayor Sally Heyman said that so far, 51 people are believed to live in the collapsed part of the building, but their whereabouts are unknown.

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Hyman told CNN that these people “neither called nor anyone called to contact them.”

Emergency officials asked people to call 305-614-1819 to report whether they were safe, or to have family members report whether any relatives of them were missing.

The county magistrate said that it is unclear whether all 51 people were in the building when it fell. “We are still waiting because of “vacation or other reasons. There is hope, unfortunately, it is getting smaller and smaller.”

Hyman said that the staff has searched and is now turning to resume work. She said that fire rescue and first responders have walked all the parts of the building that have not fallen down and are partially affected.

“The rest of the search and rescue work has been completed by outside humans, searching for obstacles, drones and dogs are also in handy.” She said: “Now it has turned to or started to turn to recovery work.”

She said that according to their records, about 40 people have been evacuated. Some of them get help from others.

Hyman said the staff are now in “pause mode” because a thunderstorm has entered the area.

The White House and the Federal Emergency Management Agency contacted local officials after the building collapsed

A White House official told CNN that the White House is monitoring the situation in Surfside, Florida, after a partial collapse of a 12-story residential building earlier on Thursday.

The official told CNN in a statement: “The White House and the Federal Emergency Management Agency are contacting local officials to provide assistance when needed.”

“We have a heart for those who died in this terrible tragedy, and we express our sympathy to the families who waited so hard as the search and rescue team assessed the situation. The heroic first responder worked tirelessly to save lives this morning, We thank them.” The official continued.

The White House did not disclose whether President Biden had heard a briefing on the collapse.

Witness: Everyone was screaming and panicking during the evacuation

Earlier on June 24, 2021, a 12-story oceanfront apartment building in Surfside, Florida, partially collapsed, killing at least one person and triggering a large-scale emergency response. Dozens of rescuers were in Search for survivors in the ruins. The picture shows family members and residents from this Champlain Towers South apartment building greeting each other outside the community center. (CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images)

The Champlain Towers South apartment building in Surfside, Florida, partially collapsed on Thursday. Witnesses said that as they tried to evacuate the adjacent building, “everyone was screaming and panicking”.

Aaron Miles lives with his girlfriend and their family at the blue-green resort next door, which has been evacuated. He said: “As soon as I arrived in the hall… there was nothing inside, dust and debris everywhere.”

Abigail Crosby said that they quickly picked up the five children who lived with them and evacuated, “I take whatever I have.”

Miles said that we “leaved as quickly as possible.” The group went downstairs to the basement of the parking lot, where a waiter asked them to come out.

Myers said that immediately after the collapse, people fled around screaming.

“This is terrible. Adults and children are screaming. Women and children are crying. This may be one of the worst experiences I have ever seen in my life.” Miles said.

Miles and his family are on vacation in Virginia. They said that everything seemed normal yesterday.

Miles said: “Yesterday, the building looked normal, nothing was wrong, and then as I said, when we woke up, the building was gone.”

MDFR: Approximately 55 units in the building were affected by the collapse

On June 24, 2021, an apartment building in Surfside, north of Miami Beach, partially collapsed, triggering a major emergency response. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

On Thursday morning, Champlain Towers South, an apartment building in Surfside, Florida, collapsed. Approximately 55 units were affected.

According to the Miami-Dade Fire and Rescue Department (MDFR)Series of tweets, The affected unit is located in the northwest of the corridor of the building.

MDFR said they rescued 35 people after receiving a report of the collapse of the building at 1:30 a.m. EDT, 10 of whom were treated at the scene. The two were taken to the hospital and one of them died.

On June 24, 2021, an apartment building in Surfside, north of Miami Beach, partially collapsed, triggering a major emergency response. (Wu Weixi/Epoch Times)

MDFR said the building has 12 floors and a total of 136 units.

“Miami-Dade Fire and Rescue personnel are conducting search and rescue work, looking for any survivors in the debris around the building and structure.” Miami-Dade Fire and Rescue personnel said in a tweet on Thursday.

FL-TF1, known for its international disaster relief, will help deal with the collapse of hometown

On June 24, 2021, an apartment building in Surfside, north of Miami Beach, partially collapsed, triggering a major emergency response. (CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images)

Miami-Dade County Mayor Sally Heyman told CNN that the Urban Search and Rescue Team of the Miami-Dade Fire and Rescue Team (MDFR), the First Task Force of Florida (FL- TF1), and responded to this collapse accident involving the hometown for the first time.

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According to the MDFR website, FL-TF1 is an international search and rescue team that has been responding to disasters caused by structural collapses, earthquakes, hurricanes and floods for 36 years.

Hyman said that rescue teams from multiple agencies “have been fully structured… to check if anyone (has not left) and if anyone is trapped in it.”

According to FL-TF1’s departmental website, actual search and rescue operations in “collapsed structures, flooded areas, and traffic accident sites” are FL-TF1’s expertise.

MDFR said that FL-TF1 “provided assistance to countries such as Mexico, the Philippines, and Soviet Armenia” in the early days. So far, staff have responded to various disasters, including the September 11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center.

“FL-TF1 is mainly composed of Miami-Dade fire rescue personnel and other external experts as needed.” The agency’s website says.

MDFR’s website states: “The task force is supported by a comprehensive equipment library weighing 50,000 pounds,” which “provides full self-sufficiency for immediate mission response.”

The Paraguayan first lady’s family disappeared after the building collapsed

On June 24, 2021, an apartment building in Surfside, north of Miami Beach, partially collapsed, triggering a major emergency response. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

The Foreign Relations Department of Paraguayan President Mario Abdo Benítez told CNNE that they could not find the first lady’s sister and her family, believing they were after the collapse of the Surfside Building in Florida disappeared.

The sister of first lady Silvana López Moreira lives on the 10th floor of a partially collapsed building with her husband and three children.

The ministry said on Twitter on Thursday that a total of six Paraguayans are currently unaccounted for.

Mayor of Miami-Dade: Talking with President Biden after the building collapsed

The mayor of Miami-Dade said Thursday that she has communicated with President Biden about the catastrophic building collapse in Surfside, Florida.

“Just talked with the President of the United States on the phone. He proposed that the federal government will give its full support to help our communities at this difficult time. We will continue to work with local, state and federal agencies to respond to this tragedy and do our best to support Affected families.” Mayor Daniella Levine Cava (Daniella Levine Cava) on ThursdayTwitterSaid.

According to a tweet, Levin Kava met with Biden at the White House on Wednesday to discuss gun violence.

Governor of Florida: Displaced people have been placed in temporary hotels

On June 24, 2021, an apartment building in Surfside, north of Miami Beach, partially collapsed, triggering a major emergency response. The picture shows Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (middle) speaking at a press conference. (EVA MARIE UZCATEGUI/AFP via Getty Images)

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said that with the help of the Red Cross, people displaced by the collapse of the building have now been placed in temporary hotels.

Officials said about 55 units of the Champlain Towers South apartment building that partially collapsed on Thursday were affected. In the morning, County Mayor Sally Heyman said that 51 people believed to live there were still missing.

The governor said: “It is very, very sad to see such a large-scale collapse.”

He said that the next steps will be “together with the city, county, and state” to ensure that long-term help can be provided as needed.

DeSantis said rescuers are still working hard to find missing persons.

He said: “We still hope to find more survivors. As Florida, we are providing all the assistance we can provide.”

Here you can find information about finding missing relatives

Miami-Dade County Mayor Sally Heyman said that at least 51 people are believed to be living in the partially collapsed building in Surfside, Florida, and are still whereabouts. unknown.

The local government has set up a family reunion center for people searching for missing persons. According to the Miami-Dade Fire and Rescue Department (MDFR), the center is located at 9301 Collins Avenue (9301 Collins Avenue) in Surfside.

Emergency officials also asked people to call 305-614-1819 if there are relatives whose whereabouts are unknown.

Consulate: 4 Venezuelan citizens and 8 Argentine citizens missing

On June 24, 2021, an apartment building in Surfside, north of Miami Beach, partially collapsed, triggering a major emergency response. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

The consulates of Venezuela and Argentina both said that after an apartment building collapsed in Surfside, Florida, some of their citizens disappeared.

Brian Fincheltub, Head of Consular Affairs of Venezuela, atTwitterIt wrote that they had determined that there were 4 citizens of their own country in the wrecked building.

He went on to say: “We have contacted the authorities and their families who are searching.”

Biden: If the Governor of Florida declares a state of emergency, FEMA is ready

On June 24, 2021, an apartment building in Surfside, north of Miami Beach, partially collapsed, triggering a major emergency response. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

President Biden said that federal aid resources, including those from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), are “ready” to deal with the collapse of an apartment building in Surfside, Florida. They are waiting for Governor Ron DeSantis to declare a state of emergency.

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“So we are paying attention, and we are ready to immediately transfer from federal resources… If we are indeed asked to do this. But we can’t (directly) go in and do it, but the Federal Emergency Management Agency is watching there, in case it is needed .” Biden said.

Biden pointed out that his chief of staff Ron Klain (Ron Klain) is actively participating with his cabinet members to ensure that federal resources are ready for deployment.

Biden said: “My chief of staff has been deeply involved from the beginning. We are now involving the Cabinet and dealing with the Federal Emergency Management Agency. We are working hard to resolve this issue. I am very clear. Say,’No matter what help you want the federal government to provide, we are on standby. As long as you speak up, we will be responsive.'”

Miami-Dade officials confirm that the number of missing persons has increased to 99

On June 24, 2021, an apartment building in Surfside, north of Miami Beach, partially collapsed, triggering a major emergency response. The picture shows Luz Marina holding a photo of his aunt Marina Azen. She said that her aunt disappeared after a partial collapse of her 12-story Champlain Towers South apartment building. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

The search for survivors continues, but the Miami-Dade Mayor’s Office has increased the number of missing persons to 99.

The Champlain Towers in South Florida collapsed in a catastrophic manner on Thursday. The Mayor of Surfside, Charles Burkett, said that “the worst has yet to come.”

The FBI’s Miami Division told Fox News that it “fully assisted” in the investigation of the collapse of the building.

The agency added in a statement that “any information related to rescue and recovery operations and investigations will come from local authorities.”

NBA Miami Heat lend a helping hand in the collapse

The Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA) confirmed to CNN that the team helped distribute water bottles and snacks to emergency responders at the site of a partial collapse of an apartment building in Surfside, Florida.

Heat player Tyler Herro, assistant coaches Chris Quinn and Eric Glass, basketball management director Scott Gurka, And Steve Stowe, vice chairman/executive director of the Miami Heat Charity Fund, came to the scene on Thursday to help.

In addition, recipients of HEAT charities-World Central Kitchen and Direct Relief were also on the scene. The World Central Kitchen is providing food for first responders, and direct relief organizations are helping displaced residents.

State Fire Chief: Searchers heard voices from the ruins

State Fire Department Director Jimmy Patronis told CNN that the tactical team working in the collapsed building heard a sound from the rubble during a search and rescue operation earlier on Thursday.

Patronis said rescuers heard a person’s voice in the parking lot area earlier today, but it was difficult for them to get forward.

He said: “Rescuers heard voices from the ruins. It’s a bit like fate. You entered an area, you are so passionate, so focused, so determined to make sure you do everything possible in this situation. save life.”

Patronis recounted what the search and rescue personnel experienced in the building.

He said: “It’s like going to a gym, but there is no air conditioning, trying to remove the rubble, but at the same time worrying that the rubble around you will fall on you. There is flood, there is fuel, there is unstable ground, in addition, there is rescue. The urgency and challenge of life.”

Patronis said the rescue mission is still ongoing because they have to determine how far they can safely enter the building.

Mayor: 102 people have been settled after the partial collapse of the building, at least 99 people are still missing

Miami-Dade County Magistrate Daniella Levine Cava said that 102 people have been found after a building in Surfside partially collapsed.

“I want to give you a high number, which is very encouraging. 102 people have found it. This is twice the number we were able to report last time.” Levin Kava said at a press conference this afternoon: ” 102 people from the tower, their location is known, they are safe and sound.”

The mayor said that after the building collapsed, at least 99 people are still missing.

(This matter is in progress, and this article will continue to be updated.)

Editor in charge: Lin Yan#

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