SURFSIDE, FL (WBAP/KLIF News) – Search and rescue has been halted temporarily due concerns about the stability of what remains of the collapsed twelve-story condominium in Surfside, Florida.
Miami-Dade County Fire Chief Alan Cominsky detailed the concerns at a news conference Thursday morning.
“Concerns assesses included six to twelve inches of movement from a large column hanging from the structure that could fall and cause damage to the support column in the south terrain garage area. Slight movement in the concrete floor slabs in the southside of the structure near the north and south corner of the building,” he said.
Crews have been working around the clock since the building crumbled last Thursday at the Champlain Towers South Building. The death toll has risen to 18 and 145 are still missing.
The news came the same day President Joe Biden will visit first responders as well as family and friends of the victims.
Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said the high-profile visit will not hamper ongoing efforts.
“President Biden’s visit today will have no impact on what happens at this site,” she assured the public.
Investigators continue to look into the cause of the disaster. It’s been revealed that building officials were given a heads up about issues detailed in a 2018 report that warned of serious “structural damage to the concrete lab below the pool deck” that was in need of “immediate repair.”
At least five filed lawsuits have been filed against the condominium association for the collapse citing the 2018 report about structural issues that would cost around $9 million to fix.
Copyright 2021. WBAP/KLIF News. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
