Four more bodies were found in the collapsed Champlain Towers South condominium complex in Surfside, Florida, bringing the death toll to 94, Democratic Mayor of Miami-Dade Daniella Cava said in a press conference Monday.
At least eighty-three of the victims have been identified with 80 of their families being notified, Cava said in the press conference. Another 22 people are “potentially unaccounted for,” and 222 have been accounted for since the building collapsed in June.
“The process of making identification has become more difficult as time goes on,” Cava said. “The numbers are fluid and will continue to change.”
The search and recovery mission had “some brief interruptions” due to weather conditions, Cava said. “They can resume their work following pauses as soon as it’s safe to go back, and the weather service guides them.”
The increased death toll follows Tropical Storm Elsa landfall in Florida on Wednesday, with ten more bodies being recovered that day.
Florida officials told families of missing loved ones on Wednesday that the search and rescue mission would turn to search and recovery, saying there is now “zero chance” of survival.
Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis said Wednesday he would not commit to any state action to address concerns about aging buildings following this collapse.
“We obviously want to be able to identify why did this happen,” DeSantis said. “Is this something that was unique to this building? Is it something that was unique to the person that maybe developed it — because obviously there are sister properties? Is it something that buildings of that age, that would have implications beyond that whether southern Florida or the entire state of Florida? I think we need to get those definitive answers.”
Support journalism by clicking here to our gofundme or sign up for our free newsletter by clicking here
Android Users, Click Here To Download The Free Press App And Never Miss A Story. It’s Free And Coming To Apple Users Soon.
ICYMI: