Four people are now known to have died in the collapse of an oceanfront apartment block near Miami Beach in Florida, officials said Friday, while the number of unaccounted for has risen to 159 — fueling fears of a much higher death toll.
An unknown number of residents are feared to have been asleep in the 12-story building in the town of Surfside, when one of its wings was reduced early Thursday morning to a gigantic pile of debris.
“We do have 120 people now accounted for, which is very, very good news. But our unaccounted for number has gone up to 159,” Miami-Dade County mayor Daniella Levine Cava told a news conference.
“In addition, we can tragically report the death count is now four,” she said, adding that the numbers were “very fluid.”
Rescue teams with sniffer dogs worked through a second night despite heavy rain — clinging to the diminishing chance of finding additional survivors.
Their efforts were illuminated by lights shining on the debris, with the recovered bodies put into yellow bags and transported away as homicide detectives worked to confirm their identities.
“We will continue search and rescue because we still have hope that we will find people alive,” said Levine Cava — who described the dedication of the dozens of rescuers on site as “incredibly moving.”
“They are totally, totally motivated to find people. They have to be pulled off the shift. That is how motivated they are to continue their efforts.”
President Joe Biden declared an emergency early Friday in response to the disaster, ordering federal assistance for the local relief effort.
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