For days, rescue workers searched for survivors of the high collapse in Surfside near Miami. Because of the approaching tropical storm “Elsa”, the ruins are now to be blown up.
Miami – After the partial collapse of a residential complex in the US state of Florida, the authorities are preparing to demolish the remaining part of the building as quickly as possible.
The ruin is dangerously unstable and therefore hampers the progress of the rescue operation in the already collapsed part, said the mayor of the Miami-Dade district, Daniella Levine Cava, on Sunday. The part of the building that is still standing should be blown up with several detonations so that the building collapses on the spot, she said.
“To expand search and rescue operations, it is crucial to bring these buildings down in a controlled manner,” emphasized the mayor. After the demolition, the experts could look for parts of the heap of rubble that were previously inaccessible for safety reasons. The search for buried residents of the twelve-story residential complex was stopped on Saturday afternoon (local time) due to preparations for the demolition.
The number of victims has now risen to 24. More than 120 people are still missing, although it is unclear how many of them were actually in the building near the beach in Surfside near Miami at the time of the accident.
The ruin is expected to be blown up on Sunday (local time) or Monday. Mayor Levine Cava said that as soon as there was a fixed time, the public would be informed in good time. She called on residents of the neighborhood to stay in their homes at the time of the demolition because smaller particles and dust could spread through the air. Larger debris would remain in place within a defined radius according to the plan of the blast.
The demolition was brought forward because of concerns about the stability of the ruins due to a tropical storm. Extensions of the storm “Elsa” are expected from Monday evening (local time) in southern Florida and could bring violent gusts of wind and heavy rain. “We are still confident that we can make the demolition before the storm,” said Levine Cava on Saturday. However, the demolition also carries risks for possible survivors in the rubble. The complex with around 130 residential units collapsed on June 24 for reasons that were still unexplained. Since then, detection dogs, special cameras and heavy equipment had been used to search for victims around the clock. dpa
