FL Condo Collapse: 11 Dead, 150 Still Missing In Surfside

SURFSIDE, FL — Two more bodies were pulled from the rubble of the partially collapsed 12-story Champlain Towers South Condo Monday.

This brings the total number of confirmed dead at the building to 11, while 151 are still unaccounted for, Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said at a Monday news conference.

Workers continue to tunnel and sort through the debris Monday, the fifth day since the collapse. Officials remain hopeful that first responders might find survivors at the site as anxious families cling to hope that their loved ones could still be alive amid the devastation.

"Our top priority continues to be search and rescue, and saving any lives that we can, and our brave firefighters are telling us that that's the right thing to do," Levine Cava said at a Saturday evening news conference.

Early Monday, a crane lifted a large slab of concrete from the rubble, which allowed rescuers to move into the space and remove smaller pieces by hand.

More than 80 rescuers are working at the site at a time, Andy Alvarez, a deputy incident commander, told “Good Morning America” on Monday. They are “breaching the walls that collapsed in a frantic effort to try to rescue those who are still viable and to get to those voids that we typically know exist in these buildings,” Alvarez said.

Workers have identified pockets in the debris where survivors might possibly be located as they’ve tunneled through the building “in a frantic search to seek that hope, that miracle, to see who we can bring out of this building alive,” he added.

Cameras have been sent down into these voids, showing that there is enough room in some of these spaces for there to possibly be survivors there, fire officials said at a Monday morning news conference.

As search-and-rescue efforts continue at the site Monday, here are five things to know about this tragic condo collapse.

Eight of the 11 victims have been identified.

Of the 11 confirmed dead, Miami-Dade police have already identified eight victims, sharing their names on social media over the weekend.

Late Saturday, police shared the names of four residents of the building who were identified: Antonio Lozano, 83, and his wife, Gladys Lozano, 79, who lived in apartment 903; Stacie Dawn Fang, 54, who lived in apartment 1002; and Manuel LaFont, 54, who lived in apartment 804.

Sunday night, another four victims’ names were made public: Leon Oliwkowicz, 80; Luis Bermudez, 26; Anna Ortiz, 46; and Christina Beatriz Elvira, 74. Their apartment numbers were not shared.

The family of Fang previously identified her as one of those killed in the building collapse. Fang's son, 15-year-old Jonah Handler, was pulled alive from the rubble, the Miami Herald reported.

"There are no words to describe the tragic loss of our beloved Stacie. The members of the Fang and Handler family would like to express our deepest appreciation for the outpouring of sympathy, compassion and support we have received. The many heartfelt words of encouragement and love have served as a much needed source of strength during this devastating time," the family said in a statement.

Levine Cava said officials have been gathering DNA samples from family members to assist in the identification process moving forward. This allows them to conduct rapid DNA testing on site as they recover bodies from the devastation, she said Saturday.

Inspection report found major structural damage at the building in 2018.

Nearly three years before the building’s collapse, a structural engineering firm found “major structural damage” caused by “failed waterproofing” below the pool deck, according to an October 2018 report from Morabito Consultants Inc.

The town of Surfside released all records related to the condo tower, including its preliminary review plans. These documents can be found here.

The report from Morabito said that the concrete structural slab underneath the building’s pool was damaged because of the waterproofing and needed repairs.

“Failure to replace the waterproofing in the near future will cause the extent of the concrete deterioration to expand exponentially,” according to the report.

The report also identified other structural issues and recommended additional repairs and updates to the building, though it didn’t warn of any imminent danger.

Surfside’s town inspector Ross Prieto met with the condo’s residents to discuss the report in November 2018 and told them the building was “in very good shape,” NPR reported.

Miami-Dade County, South Florida cities will audit older buildings.

To prevent a similar tragedy, Levine Cava has asked for the county's Department of Regulatory and Economic Resources to launch an audit of all county building 40 years and older.

"We want to be sure every building has completed their recertification process," the mayor said.

The county will work with building owners to remediate any issues that were documented during that process.

Extra scrutiny will be given to all buildings by the same developer at Champlain Towers and safety inspections will be conducted, she said.

There is a sister building to Champlain Towers from the same developer in Surfside. Gov. Ron DeSantis also said that an evacuation of this building is being considered.

Champlain Tower was built in 1981 by the late Miami Beach developer Nathan Reiber, according to The Real Deal.

A team that investigated 9/11 is assisting in Surfside.

On Friday, a team of scientists and engineers from the same federal agency that investigated the fall of the Twin Towers on 9/11 arrived in Surfside, the Miami Herald reported. The team's goal is to determine whether to launch a full investigation into the condo's collapse and also determine what exactly went wrong.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology, a sub-agency of the Department of Commerce, usually investigates disasters that result in a "substantial loss of life," a spokeswoman told the Herald.

Assist those affected by the condo collapse.

To assist residents and families affected by the building's collapse, a hardship fund — SupportSurfside.org — has been established. The Coral Gables Community Foundation, The Key Biscayne Community Foundation and The Miami Foundation are working together to handle the fund, which is taking donations through the website.

Another fundraiser has been set up by The Shul of Bal Harbour through an online fundraising tool, The Chesed Fund. With a goal of raising $5 million, more than $1 million has been raised as of Monday morning.

United Way of Miami-Dade has also set up a fundraiser, Operation Helping Hands, for those impacted by the collapse.

The Greater Miami Jewish Federation has also set up an emergency assistance fund to help with short- and long-term needs of those affected by the building’s fall.

A family reunification center remains open at 9301 Collins Ave. for anyone seeking unaccounted for or missing relatives. Those with family members who are unaccounted for or are safe are asked to call 305-614-1819 to account for them. To report a missing person or fill out a wellness check form for residents of the condo building, visit www.miamidade.gov/emergency.

This story contains reporting from The Associated Press.

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