Search intensifies with rest of Fla. condo down

The demolition of the remaining section of a condo building in South Florida has helped speed up search-and-rescue efforts.

While the confirmed death toll in the June 24 collapse of the Champlain Towers South building in Surfside, Florida, rose to 28 on Monday, officials expressed optimism now that the planned demolition was finished.

Tropical Storm Elsa was approaching but did not appear to be headed toward the region.

The search-and-rescue efforts restarted on Monday, 20 minutes after the demolition, emergency management officials said.

There are still 117 people missing, Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said. No one has been pulled alive from the rubble.

"We worked very hard to bring the building down to get access to the pile where we hope there are voids that allow us to continue the search and rescue operations," she said.

"We will be able to access every part of that pile, which they hadn't been able to do up to this point," Governor Ron DeSantis said. "I think it's going to move the pace. I think the momentum is very strong."

Rescuers searched through fresh rubble Monday, which allowed crews into previously inaccessible places, including bedrooms where people were believed to be sleeping at the time of the collapse, officials said.

Three more victims were discovered in the new pile, Miami-Dade Assistant Fire Chief Raide Jadallah told family members.

"We know that with every day that goes by, it is harder to see a miracle happening," said Maggie Castro, a firefighter and paramedic with the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue.

Teams had been unable to access areas closest to the remaining structure because of its instability, Levine Cava said.

"Truly we could not continue without bringing this building down," she said at a news conference.

The decision to demolish the remnants of the building came after concerns mounted that the damaged structure was at risk of falling. Parts of the remaining building shifted Thursday, prompting a 15-hour suspension in the work.

Part of the existing debris pile also was helping to support the remaining structure, Miami Fire Rescue Captain Ignatius Carroll said.

Some residents had pleaded to return to their homes one last time before the demolition to get belongings, but the requests were denied.

Before the demolition began at 10:30 pm Sunday, searchers used drones with thermal imaging to see if any pets could be found.

"We went through truly great lengths at great risk to first responders to locate pets, and none were found," Levine Cava said.

Revised predictions that show Tropical Storm Elsa tracking to make landfall north of Miami-Dade on Tuesday sparked renewed optimism that the search for survivors would remain uninterrupted, except in the event of lightning, DeSantis told reporters.

"The news is pretty positive," said DeSantis, who announced plans to rescind the state of emergency order for Miami-Dade, although leaving it in place for other Florida counties more likely to be severely affected by the storm. Its impact on Surfside will be "incredibly, incredibly minimal", the governor said.

On Monday afternoon, the storm was making landfall on the south coast of Cuba bringing flooding rains, the US National Hurricane Center said.

The storm was forecast to approach western Florida on Tuesday or Wednesday.

Investigators have not determined what caused the 40-year-old condo to collapse. A 2018 engineering report found structural deficiencies that are now the focus of inquiries, including by a grand jury.

"We are praying that G-d Almighty delivers big miracles, miracles of Biblical proportions," wrote Chabad of South Broward Rabbi Raphael Tennenhaus, who said 34 members of the organization were either missing, including his sister-in-law and brother-in-law, or confirmed dead, reported The Miami Herald.

About one third of the people still unaccounted for are Jewish, rabbis from local temples said. About 30 percent are Jewish people from Cuba, Argentina, Colombia and Venezuela.

In the 40 years since it was built, the condos saw residents arrive from Puerto Rico, Colombia, Venezuela, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay, the newspaper reported, adding that in recent years, more young people and couples with children moved in, "joining snowbirds, seasonal renters and transplants from New York City".

The National Weather Service issued a severe thunderstorm warning for Miami Beach, which is just south of Surfside. Jadallah said rescuers planned to push through.

"Now that we don't have an issue with the building, the only time that we're stopping is lightning," he said.

Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this story.