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Collapsed home in Florida:
Photo: CRISTOBAL HERRERA-ULASHKEVICH / EPA
After the partial collapse of a twelve-story apartment building in the US state of Florida, more fatalities are found in the rubble every day.
The number of dead has risen to nine, said the mayor of Miami-Dade district, Daniella Levine Cava on Sunday.
Four of the dead have so far been identified.
Experts fear that the number is likely to increase significantly.
More than 150 people were recently missing.
Many families fear for their loved ones.
The building near the beach with around 130 residential units had partially collapsed on Thursday night.
The misfortune surprised people in their sleep.
Since then, a desperate search for possible survivors has been going on.
Rescue teams are on duty around the clock, with sniffer dogs, special cameras, listening instruments and heavy equipment.
Fire disabled search operation
The chief of the fire department in the Miami-Dade district, Alan Cominsky, said the search forces worked tirelessly, in rotating teams, with all their might to find more survivors.
The situation is "extremely difficult" and demanding.
In the meantime, a fire in the rubble had hampered the search.
According to Mayor Cava, the rescue workers initially had difficulties in locating the origin of the fire under the rubble, isolating it and extinguishing it.
This made the search for possible buried subjects more difficult.
Search delegation from Israel
The cause of the partial collapse remains a mystery.
The residential complex known as Champlain Towers South dates from the 1980s.
At the weekend, a 2018 inspection report by an outside company became public, in which experts listed several defects, including major structural defects in the building's concrete.
In order to release additional funds and material after the accident, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis had declared a state of emergency.
This has already been confirmed by President Joe Biden so that federal funds can also be made available.
The disaster control agency FEMA is also involved.
International helpers are also involved.
For example, Israel sent a delegation to support the search work.
dpa / rai