Death toll rises to 12 as search and rescue operation continues in Florida building collapse

As of Tuesday evening, at least 12 people have been confirmed dead, with 149 others unaccounted for, after a 12-story residential building partially collapsed in South Florida’s Miami-Dade County last week. A massive search and rescue operation entered its sixth day on Tuesday, as crews continued to comb through the pile of debris in hopes of finding survivors. So far, 125 people who were living or staying in the condominium at the time of the disaster have been accounted for.

The partial collapse occurred at around 1:15 a.m. local time last Thursday at the Champlain Towers South condominium in the small, beachside town of Surfside, about 6 miles north of Miami Beach. Approximately 55 of the oceanfront complex’s 136 units were destroyed, according to Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Assistant Chief Raide Jadallah. Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett said during a press conference in Surfside on Tuesday: “Nobody is giving up hope here. Nobody is stopping. We are dedicated to getting everyone out of that pile of rubble.”

President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden will travel to Surfside on Thursday, according to a statement from the White House. Last week, the president approved an emergency declaration in Florida and ordered federal assistance to supplement state and local response efforts in the wake of the partial building collapse.