By Brian Brant
(This story has been updated with new developments.)
(SURFSIDE, Fla.) Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said 102 people have been found and around 99 people were unaccounted for in the aftermath of the collapse at the Champlain Towers South Condo early Thursday morning, according to NBC 6.
Levine Cava signed an emergency order to open the door for federal assistance. She said she spoke by phone with President Joe Biden, who offered his administration's full support.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue officials said 37 people were rescued from the rubble and two people were pulled after about 55 units collapsed.
Aventura Hospital said they took in three patients from the scene. Two were in critical condition.
A fire broke out in one part of the building Thursday afternoon, but it was extinguished in about 20 minutes. The rescue and recovery operation remains underway.
Emergency officials are asking people to call 305-614-1819 to report they are either safe or to report any missing persons.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis visited the site on Thursday and stressed the calamity of the incident.
"TV doesn't do it justice, it is really traumatic to see the collapse of a structure like that," DeSantis told reporters at a news conference at the site. "We still have hope to be able to identify additional survivors."
Original Story
The collapse of a 12-story condominium around 1:30 a.m. Thursday morning has led to the death of at least one person with a massive search and rescue operation underway, according to The Miami Herald.
Miami-Dade County Fire Chief Ray Jadallah said 55 units at the Champlain Towers South Condo collapsed and 35 survivors were pulled from the rubble and debris. Ten were treated at the scene and two were transported to the hospital.
Frank Rollason, director of Miami-Dade Emergency Management, said first responders believe they have cleared all survivors from inside the condo.
“They brought dogs who can sniff for survivors in the rubble,” said Surfside Commissioner Eliana Salzhauer. “They aren’t turning up very much. No one is celebrating anyone being pulled out.”
Salzhauer said the oceanfront building was beginning its 40-year recertification, with its roof being redone. However, it is unknown if it led to the collapse.
Former Surfside Vice Mayor Barry Cohen described the aftermath of the collapse to the Herald.
Cohen said he and his wife gathered some items after waking up early Thursday to “a bang that just kept on going,” and opened the door of their third-floor condo to find a large pile of rubble.
The couple, who moved into the condo in 2018, tried to escape first down the stairs, but failed because warped metal blocked the doorways, then tried to leave through the garage, but water poured in and rose above their shins.
They went back to their condo and shouted for rescuers' help. The couple and their two neighbors waited 20 minutes before first responders arrived to rescue them with a cherry picker.
“This doesn’t happen,” Mayor Charles Burkett said. “I’ve been here my whole life, and I haven’t seen anything like this happen.”