Two more victims, including a firefighter’s seven-year-old daughter, have been discovered in the wreckage of the collapsed apartment block near Miami. This brings the death toll to 22 while 126 people are still missing.
Reportedly, the firefighter had been keeping watch at the disaster site for the past nine days and was present when his daughter was found after a lengthy search.
Local media have identified the girl as Stella Cattarossi, making her the third child to be recovered from the site in Surfside.
She was among family members, including her mother, grandparents, and an aunt from Argentina, who were visiting when the 12-story building partially collapsed on June 24.
The collapse occurred at the Champlain Towers South condominium in Surfside, a small town about 6 miles north of Miami Beach, at around 1:30 a.m on June 24.
Authorities have decided to demolish the remaining part of the building, which still stands, while emphasizing that the top priority is the search and rescue operation.
“Our top priority remains search and rescue. I want to be very clear about that,” said Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava. “We’re still evaluating all possible impacts and determining the best timeline to actually begin the demolition.”
Meanwhile, a second residential complex, Crestview Towers, has been evacuated following the determination of serious concrete and electrical problems by engineers. This decision was made urgently due to the approaching Hurricane Isla, which is forecasted to hit Florida soon.
City manager Arthur Sorey of North Miami Beach stated, “It’s definitely not an easy decision. It’s just the right thing to do during these times. It’s uncertain what’s going to happen with the storm.”