Death toll from Champlain Towers South building collapse rises to 60

Search teams in the collapsed building in Miami-Dade, in South Florida, found another six bodies in the rubble in the last hours, bringing the provisional death toll to 60.

At a press conference offered this Thursday morning, the mayor of Miami-Dade, Daniella Levine Cava, reported that until today there are 80 people missing due to the partial collapse of the Champlain Towers South building, in the town of Surfside, Miami, Florida.

Levine Cava pointed out that at around 1:20 am today (5:20 GMT), members of the rescue team observed a moment of silence two weeks after the collapse of the 12-story building built in 1981.

The mayor recalled that the teams at the site have made the “painful” transition from a “search and rescue” operation to one of “search and recovery” since Wednesday, in which specialists have given up trying to find people with life.

They are also collecting and cataloging personal items found in the rubble.

Of the bodies found so far, 35 have been identified by authorities, Levine Cava reported.

The latest victims identified are Graciela Cattarossi, 86; Gino Cattarossi, 89; Simon Segal, 80, and Elaine Lia Sabino, 71, whose bodies were recovered Tuesday, according to Miami-Dade Police.

The demolition last weekend of what was left standing of the residential building, located on the beachfront, has given a new rhythm to the search operation, since now rescuers have access to the entire site where the site was located. building of more than 130 units.

The partial collapse of the Champlain Towers South, which occurred in the early hours of June 24, has led to several lawsuits against the condominium association.

State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle reported Wednesday that a Miami-Dade grand jury agreed to investigate security at the buildings.

He noted that the grand jury will issue “recommendations to prevent this disaster from happening again, not just in Surfside, and not just in condominiums, but in all buildings and structures in the coastal, intercoastal, and surrounding areas of our county, state, and nation”.