By Sophia Garcia and Valentina Foglia

Part of a residential building collapsed in the early morning, around 1:30 AM, in Surfside. This collapse took place a few miles north of Miami Beach, located at 8777 Collins Avenue. 

So far, it is known that one person has been reported dead and 10 have been reported injured. Over 35 survivors have been pulled out from the rubble. 

The tower, holding more than 130 units, had over 70 units that were destroyed or damaged due to the collapse. It is unknown if any construction activity on the roof contributed to the collapse. 

At least 51 people assumed to be living in the building have not been accounted for. Officials are uncertain if all 51 unaccounted residents were in the building at the time of collapse. Emergency officials urge for people to call (305)- 614- 1819 if they have relatives who are unaccounted for. 

Search efforts started at 2 AM EST, but with a thunderstorm plaguing the area, search and rescue efforts have been put in “pause mode,” according to Miami-Dade Commissioner Sally Heyman.

According to CNN, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue has organized a reunification center, located at 9301 Collins Avenue for those in search of missing people who may have been affected by the collapse. 

UPDATE:

As of 3 PM, approximately 99 people have been reported missing and only 53 people have been accounted for. The count may not be accurate, as they are not confirmed to be residents of the complex, and may be from out of town or guests to other inhabitants.

As of 6 PM, Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said that 102 people have been accounted for following the collapse. 99 people are still unaccounted for. Citizens of Miami-Dade are continually reminded to contact (305)- 614- 1819 if they have relatives who are unaccounted for.

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Assistant Chief Ray Jadallah has confirmed that though firefighters hear noise from under the rubble, saying that “What sounds like people banging, not people but sounds of a possibility of a banging. We haven’t heard any voices coming from the pile.”

Reports indicate that 37 total people have been pulled from the rubble of the building, with 11 sustaining injuries. Four of these victims were transported to a hospital, according to the assistant chief at the scene. The official death toll has not increased past one, though the true number remains unknown.

Three Uruguayan citizens are among the missing after the partial collapse of the Champlain Towers, according to Eduardo Bouzout, Uruguay’s consul in Miami. Citizens of Uruguay, Venezuela, Argentina, and Paraguay are also those unaccounted for after the event.

Mayor Daniella Levine Cava says there is still no official cause for the building’s collapse, and that structural engineers and firefighters will be investigating the scene once search and rescue operations are completed.

Surfside Commissioner Eliana Salzhauer stated that the building was undergoing a required 40 year recertification for its structural integrity explaining why the roof was under reconstruction prior to the collapse of the building.

Shimon Wdowinski, professor in the Department of Earth and Environment at Florida International University told USA Today that his research had led him to find that the building was sinking at a rate of approximately 2 millimeters a year in the 1990s. He also shared that the rate of sinking could have changed between then and today. This study was held to identify which parts of Miami would suffer the impacts of sea-level rise and flooding.

Peter Dyga, president and CEO of a Florida chapter of the Associated Builders and Contractors, a national construction trade association, urges residents to remember that what happened to the Champlain Towers was “an oddity of biblical proportions,” and to not jump to any conclusions as investigators try to determine what went wrong.

According to CNN, American Red Cross has released a statement on their assistance for those displaced by the event:

“Families are dealing with the pain of losing their homes and the uncertainty of missing loved ones. To help them cope, the American Red Cross is finding safe places to stay for residents and others displaced by the crisis […] With Red Cross volunteers on the ground and more on their way, we are meeting families where they are by providing the basics like food and water—and offering mental health support and spiritual care as survivors begin to process their emotions.”