The number of people killed after the partial collapse of a 12-story building in Surfside, Florida,
rose to 9
, authorities confirmed Sunday, after identifying the remains of four more people in the rubble.
Meanwhile, 152 other people are still missing and 10 others are still injured.
One of the victims died in the hospital.
Authorities found other human remains that have yet to be identified.
Rescuers continue to search the rubble with dogs and sonar technology for missing residents.
"Yesterday we were able to control the fire and smoke starting at noon," Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said at a news conference.
"The search continued at full speed between yesterday and today. We have hundreds of team members waiting to rotate them," said the mayor, explaining that they have enough rescue personnel.
He also explained that they are
digging
a
deep trench
to try and find more bodies.
[They had been married for 59 years and died together in the collapse of the building in Miami]
Authorities stressed that they
continue to search for survivors relentlessly.
“We continue to have hope.
We will continue to search as hard as possible,
”said Miami-Dade Fire Chief Alan Chomsky.
“
We want to find survivors.
We know we are against time, ”said Miami-Dade firefighter spokeswoman Erika Benítez.
Therefore, he assured that they are "working hard" in certain areas where there may be survivors.
Search team members search for possible survivors in the partially collapsed Champlain Towers South condo building on June 26, 2021 in Surfside, Florida.Joe Raedle / Getty Images
Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett confirmed that
teams from Mexico and Israel have come to collaborate in the rescue efforts
and announced an aid fund for affected families that has already raised more than a million dollars this weekend.
This fund will help provide relocation assistance and other supports for families until insurance and federal aid arrive, as well as provide mental health services.
Search and rescue operations entered their
fourth day
this Sunday
, lowering hopes that those among the rubble could be found alive.
On Saturday, county police released the identities of four more of the fatalities found in the rubble.
They are Stacie Dawn Fang, 54;
Antonio Lozano, 83;
Gladys Lozano, 79;
and Manuel LaFont, 54.
The Champlain Towers condominium, of more than 130 apartments, was built in 1981 on former wetlands and was currently undergoing a structural review process, as required by the city of Surfside when 40 years of construction have passed.
There
is
still
no clarity on the causes of the collapse
, which affected 55 apartments.
They find another body under the rubble in Surfside.
There are already five dead and 156 missing
June 27, 202100: 36
But three years before the crash, an engineer had already warned of imminent danger in a report that emerged from the accident.
Another 2020 investigation from Florida International University had found the building to have been sinking at a worrying rate since the 1990s.
