The number of people killed in a building collapse in Surfside, Florida,
rose to 90
, Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava reported to the press on Sunday.
It's been more than two weeks since the Champlain Towers South condo collapsed in the early hours of Thursday, June 24.
71 of the deceased have already been identified and their families have been notified, Levine explained.
Search teams have removed more than 14 million pounds of debris from the disaster site.
[The story of Leidy Luna, the nanny of the Paraguayan presidential family who visited the building that collapsed in Surfside]
So far, 217 people who were initially reported missing have been located and
31 have not yet been located,
the mayor said.
They find relatives of the first lady of Paraguay under the ruins of the collapse in Miami
July 9, 202100: 31
On Saturday night, Mayor Levine, family members and rescuers took a walk on Collins Avenue to honor the memory of the victims and pay tribute to the Israeli search and rescue teams, who completed their work and are returning to Israel Sunday.
Rescuers have seen an increase in the number of bodies located
after half of the building that remained standing was demolished the previous Sunday.
However, they have located victims all over the ground, Miami-Dade Fire Chief Alan R. Cominsky explained Saturday.
[A repealed law may have expedited the repair of the Surfside building]
On Wednesday, July 7, authorities announced the end of search and rescue operations for possible survivors in the rubble and explained that the 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 collapse victims, as reported by The New newspaper. York Times and confirmed by
The Associated Press.
Heavy machinery is being used in specific locations of the collapsed building in Miami where it is already known that there are no victims
July 8, 202101: 02
Now at the scene of the disaster are homicide detectives and crime scene officers, who "are working very hard," Cominsky explained.
No living person has been found since the hours after the building collapsed on June 24.
This Friday, July 9, a cat named Binx who lived on the ninth floor of the building was found safe and sound.
Rescuers extract the body of a victim from the collapsed building in Surfside, Florida, on Monday, July 5, 2021. On July 7, authorities announced an end to the search for survivors, to focus on recovering bodies. Lynne Sladky / AP
The cat was found near the rubble of the building on Thursday and later transferred to Kitty Campus, an organization that cares for cats in Miami Beach (border municipality with Surfside).
[The disappeared due to the collapse in Miami could be less]
Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava confirmed to the Miami Herald newspaper that the pet had been reunited with its owners, although she did not offer further details to maintain the family's privacy.
