The fate persists.
Ten days after the collapse of a 12-story building in Surfside, near Miami, the authorities demolished the rest of the building this Sunday evening in a controlled explosion, before the storm passed. tropical Elsa, expected this Tuesday in Florida.
The search for victims was suspended on Saturday to prepare for the demolition, while the death toll is 24 dead and 121 missing.
According to television footage, the controlled explosion occurred shortly after 10:30 p.m. (local time).
🇺🇸 Terrible image for the families of the missing in Florida.
That night, what was left of the collapsed building was demolished.
@ F2Washington pic.twitter.com/kvUbgMhufA
- Anne-Claire Poignard (@anneclairep) July 5, 2021
Most of the building, named Champlain Towers South, collapsed in the middle of the night on June 24 in a cloud of dust, one of the most serious urban disasters in US history.
Authorities feared the rest of the building would collapse in turn, threatening the safety of rescuers.
These fears were compounded by the arrival of Tropical Storm Elsa, expected Tuesday in Florida.
Read also Collapsed building in Florida: how the search for survivors is organized
"The demolition in itself is limited to the immediate perimeter of the building," Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine warned Sunday at a press conference.
"However, there is dust and other particles which are an inevitable consequence of demolitions of any kind, and as a precaution we invite residents of the neighborhood to stay indoors," she added.
"Destroying this building, given that a storm is coming and we were going to have to do it anyway, is prudent," Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said on Saturday.
For the mayor of the county, it was "essential to bring down the building in a controlled manner to extend" the search operations, because the teams could not go further due to the risk of further collapses.
Still no "solid proof"
Last Thursday, President Joe Biden and his wife traveled to Florida to comfort families who improvised a wall of remembrance on a wire mesh, covered with photos of victims and missing, adorned with flowers and candles.
Today, the First Lady and I are in Surfside, Florida to meet and thank first responders and to comfort the families enduring this tragedy.
Our hearts go out to these families.
Those working around the clock to respond to this tragedy have our deepest gratitude.
- President Biden (@POTUS) July 1, 2021
Only one survivor - a teenager - was extracted from the rubble in the early hours of relief operations.
No other survivor was found despite the mobilization of rescuers, who came from all over the United States, and even from Israel and Mexico.
Among those missing were dozens of Latin Americans from Argentina, Colombia, Paraguay, Chile and Uruguay.
More than 440 USAR members from New Jersey, Ohio, Virginia, and Indiana are on the ground in Surfside to help supplement the search and rescue efforts.
Florida is grateful for the outpouring of support.
Thanks to @RoyalCaribbean for providing accommodations!
pic.twitter.com/jE4fuWoaoB
- Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) July 2, 2021
If the hypothesis of a failure in the maintenance of the building was raised, no clear answer was given.
"We do not have solid proof of what happened," Joe Biden said Thursday, referring to "a series of questions".
Among them, the president raised questions about the maintenance and structure of the building, on construction work nearby, on the rising waters.
A report as early as 2018 noted "major structural damage", as well as "cracks" in the basement of the building, according to documents released by the town of Surfside.
