A rescue worker is seen as search-and-rescue efforts resume the day after the managed demolition of the remaining part of Champlain Towers South complex in Surfside, Florida, U.S. July 5, 2021. (REUTERS)
The confirmed death toll in the collapse of a Miami-area condominium tower rose to 79 on Friday after workers recovered an additional 14 bodies and had reduced the pile of rubble down nearly to ground level.
A total of 61 people remain missing and feared dead in the concrete and steel ruins of the 12-story building in the oceanfront town of Surfside, Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava told a news conference.
The number of missing could change as it remains possible that not all were in the building when it abruptly crumbled to the ground in the early hours of June 24. Officials have yet to determine the cause of the disaster.
Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett said crews have cut the size of the building debris pile from four or five stories to nearly ground level, with some areas at below-ground level.
Investigators have not determined what caused the Champlain Towers South to fall apart without warning. Attention has been focused on a 2018 engineering report that warned of structural deficiencies.