Authorities in Miami, Florida, said Wednesday that search and rescue operations for possible survivors in the rubble of the building that collapsed in Surfside have concluded and that from now on efforts will focus on recovering the bodies.
"Based on the facts, the probability of survival is close to zero
," Miami-Dade Deputy Fire Chief Raide Jadallah said in a private meeting with family and friends of the landslide victims, as reported by
The New
newspaper.
York Times
and confirmed by
The Associated Pres
.
Rescue dogs and sound devices to search for possible survivors will no longer be used, authorities said.
However, rescuers will continue to search the rubble to retrieve the bodies of the victims.
[Mother of Paraguayan nanny who disappeared in Surfside building collapse arrives in Miami]
The announcement comes after the discovery this Wednesday morning of another 10 bodies and when the hopes of finding someone alive under the ruins have been diluted.
The number of confirmed deaths rose to 46 while the number of missing persons stands at 94.
The rescue teams,
"heroes to whom we are very grateful
," "every day inspect the pile of rubble for survivors as if they were looking for their loved ones," said Miami Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, who said hours earlier. he burst into tears during the press conference this morning.
"Our commitment to this community is very personal. They are our neighbors, our friends," said the mayor.
"The detectives continue to follow up all the leads to find out if the missing were really in the building" at the time of the collapse of the condominium at dawn on June 24, he explained. The mayor already emphasized Tuesday that this is one of the points key to the location of the people presumed to be in their homes at the time of the tragedy.
Many of the complaints were made anonymously or only provided partial data.
Investigators have been tracking information for 14 days to determine the exact number of disappeared.
Field work progresses
Emergency crews "continue to advance through inaccessible areas" before demolishing in a controlled manner what was left of Champlain Tower South.
Weather conditions are contributing to this progress, after Tropical Storm Elsa moved away from the Miami area as it headed north to Florida.
The number of missing from the Surfside landslide may be lower.
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July 6, 202102: 20
Throughout Tuesday, a significant portion of the rubble pile was removed and excavated through the concrete that was pulverized in the area where the residential complex was located.
In total, 3,500 tons of rubble have already been extracted.
Miami-Dade firefighters found eight more bodies Tuesday, on a particularly difficult day for rescuers because of Elsa.
No survivor has been found since the hours after the building collapsed in the early hours of June 24.
"Right now, we are in search and rescue mode. Our main goal right now is to close the families down," County Sheriff Freddy Ramirez reiterated at a news conference Tuesday.
[Funerals begin for the victims of the building collapse in Miami]
Rescuers are still searching for open spaces among the piles of debris where potential survivors could be found, county fire chief Alan Cominsky said.
"Unfortunately, we are not seeing anything positive," he acknowledged.
Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava revealed that the families of the missing are preparing to receive the news of a "tragic loss."
President Joe Biden, who visited the area last week, called Tuesday to offer his support.
On video: TV cameras record for the first time up close the mountain of rubble of the collapsed building in Miami
July 7, 202101: 04
"I think everyone will be ready when it is time to move on to the next phase," said the mayor.
The press was able to see the area of the tragedy up close for the first time on Tuesday, specifically the area that the authorities demolished on Sunday in a controlled way due to the instability that the structure presented. In the area was a mountain of shattered concrete and twisted steel nearly 30 feet high and about half the size of a soccer field.