U.S. News

Florida condo collapse: Death toll rises to 22, officials eye hurricane

By Danielle Haynes   |   Updated July 2, 2021 at 6:22 PM
Mourners stop to pay respects to the missing victims at the memorial outside St. Joseph Catholic Church near the collapsed Champlain Towers condo in Surfside, Fla., on Wednesday. Photo by Gary I Rothstein/UPI Jack Franco (R) and his wife stop to say a prayer for the missing people at the memorial. Photo by Gary I Rothstein/UPI On Tuesday, after discovering 18 dead, emergency workers shifted efforts to recovery instead of rescue. Photo by Gary I Rothstein/UPI In an effort to prepare for incoming Tropical Storm Elsa, the search for victims was suspended due to the controlled demolition of the remainder of Champlain Towers South condo in Surfside, Fla., on Sunday. Photo by Gary I Rothstein/UPI Rescue workers temporarily stopped the search for victims on July 1, due to a shift in the rubble at the partially collapsed residential building. Photo by Gary I Rothstein/UPI People stop at a makeshift memorial June 30 for victims of the disaster. Photo by Gary I Rothstein/UPI The White House announced the President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden will visit Surfside. Photo by Gary I Rothstein/UPI A new team of rescue workers walk to the check-in station. Photo by Gary I Rothstein/UPI Rescue workers continue to search for victims at the site of Champlain Towers on June 29. Photo by Gary I Rothstein/UPI Rescue workers continue to search for victims at the site of a partially collapsed residential building in Surfside, Fla. Photo by Gary I Rothstein/UPI Rescue workers continue to work through the rubble on June 28. Photo by Gary I Rothstein/UPI Rescue workers watch as a victim is lifted up by a crane. Photo by Gary I Rothstein/UPI Rescue workers get ready to lift a yellow body bag with the remains of a victim from the disaster. Photo by Gary I Rothstein/UPI A visitor to a memorial wall near the site of the collapsed Champlain Towers in Surfside, Fla., wipes away tears on June 27. Photo by Gary I Rothstein/UPI Visitors hug in front of the memorial wall. Photo By Gary I Rothstein/UPI Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) and FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell (L) walk with their heads down to a press conference near the site. Photo by Gary I Rothstein/UPI Signs and flowers are placed on a fence across from the building site. Photo by Gary I Rothstein/UPI Few remains have been freed from the rubble. Photo by Gary I Rothstein/UPI Miami-Dade fire and rescue workers get ready to access the source of the small fires that continue to breakout as rescue workers work on the partially collapsed building on June 25. Photo By Gary I Rothstein/UPI Occasional rain and fires have complicated search-and-rescue efforts at the site. Photo by Gary I Rothstein/UPI Heavy equipment is used to carefully dig through the debris. Photo by Gary I Rothstein/UPI Rescue workers and their dogs get ready for another shift of searching through the debris. Photo by Gary I Rothstein/UPI Residents from the area watch the rescue workers. Photo by Gary I Rothstein/UPI Miami-Dade police supply therapy dogs for residents and children to play with while waiting for transportation to temporary living quarters. Photo by Gary I Rothstein/UPI President Joe Biden approved an emergency declaration on Friday to provide federal aid to the area. Photo by Gary I Rothstein/UPI There were no signs of foul play in causing the collapse of the building, built in 1981. Photo by Gary I Rothstein/UPI Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis addresses the media near the building, issuing a state of emergency for Miami-Dade County. Photo by Gary I Rothstein/UPI Residents of the tower and friends and family of the missing gather to await news from search-and-rescue efforts. Photo by Gary I Rothstein/UPI Residents who survived the building collapse wait for transportation to temporary living quarters. Photo by Gary I Rothstein/UPI Champlain Towers is located on the Atlantic Ocean in Surfside, Fla., about three miles north of Miami Beach. Photo by Gary I Rothstein/UPI

July 2 (UPI) -- The recovery of two bodies Friday brought the death toll from a collapsed seaside condo in South Florida to 22, local authorities announced.

Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava declined to offer details on the two recoveries on the ninth day of search efforts.

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Among those recovered overnight Thursday were the remains of the 7-year-old daughter of a member of City of Miami Fire-Rescue. Chief Joseph Zahralban said fellow members of the department's urban search and rescue team found her remains Thursday night.

The girl's father wasn't involved in search efforts, and firefighters called him over to the scene after they found her, Miami-Dade County Fire Chief Alan Cominsky told reporters, according to CNN.

"When we come across an individual, you know, obviously we pay our respect, we have a process," he said.

Details about the second body recovered Thursday night weren't revealed, The Miami Herald reported.

A portion of Champlain Towers South collapsed June 24 in Surfside, Fla., just north of Miami. The number of those still unaccounted for has been reduced to 128.

Recovery efforts halted temporarily Thursday after officials became concerned that the rubble and remaining standing portion of the condo were unstable. They resumed later in the evening, but local officials were keeping an eye to the south, where Hurricane Elsa has formed and is forecast to make landfall in South Florida early next week.

Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett suggested demolishing the rest of the standing building before the storm arrives.

"I think it would be better ... to push it in the direction we want as opposed to the storm demolishes it and pushes it in a direction we don't want," he told reporters Friday.

Levine Cava, though, told the Herald that she's been advised that such a timeframe for demolition isn't possible.

"We are proceeding quickly, but we cannot bring that building down without a very, very careful demolition plan," she said.

In an afternoon news conference, she said she signed an order authorizing the demolition of the building, though she didn't reveal a timeline.