Announcer this is Nbc Nightly News with lester holt, reporting tonight from surfside, florida. Good evening we are witnessing a disaster of almost unprecedented scale here in surfside, florida, just north of miami beach, where a desperate Search And Rescue effort is under way to find those that may still be trapped more than a half day after part of a 12story Condo Building simply collapsed. It happened without warning in the middle of the night, practically unheard of kind of catastrophe in this country the destruction starkly visible from in the air, while in the Basement Parking garage, dramatic scenes of firefighters risking their own lives searching for possible victims even now, officials fear the rest of the building could come down anytime nearby, desperate families are gathering, waiting for word about loved ones, filled with anguish and heartbreak authorities confirmed one person has died. They say almost 100 people remain unaccounted for. Some may not be home, but they dont know where they are now, and theyre watching the numbers carefully. As the Rescue Effort goes on, the investigation is under way into how this happened the devastating moment that sudden collapse captured on surveillance video, a wing of the 12story building crumbles. A few seconds later, another portion of the Condo Complex also falls, leaving a massive pile of dust and debris tonight, the scope of the disaster is overwhelming, with fears the rest of the Beach Side Building may come down, too rescuers are urgently but delicately combing through the rubble. They are in Search And Rescue mode. They are trying to identify survivors i know they made contact with some and theyre doing everything they can to save lives the nightmare happening at 1 30 in the morning, no warning for residents sound asleep dozens of rescue units responding this is going to be the entire building. 12 or 13 stories most of the building is gone. Stark images show the building before and after. Officials say there were more than 130 units, at least half of them destroyed. In many of the condos left standing, the outside wall is now gone from the beach, you can see inside now empty homes that survivors scrambled to flee in the middle of the night. Right now, i have goosebumps feel like my heartbeat is going 100. From a hotel, witnesses say they could hear screams for help. This whole building here is gone, the whole back side of it. Have people standing upstairs that need to be evacuated. Rescuers using ladders to reach balconies, getting dozens out of the building, including this young boy pulled us he rushed over after hearing what sounded like thunder. We approached the building and we began to hear what sounded like somebody yelling, making noise do you remember what the noise was, what the sound was somebody saying help, help, im over here they were sticking their hand out through the rubble, waving their arm. Taking this photo after he helped lead rescuers to a boy, telling firefighters how to reach him just asking please dont leave me alone dont leave me alone. But tonight there are growing fears for the missing. Police saying 99 people are unaccounted for. Jenny urgelles telling us over the phone shes been unable to get in touch with her parents, ray and mercy. It has been nonstop phone calls trying to figure out who, if any of the jane or john does sent to hospitals are either of my parents. Were not getting any information yet. Now shes trying not to think of the worst. I cant believe that this is actually happening. I feel like this is stuff that happens in a third world country and this is one of the prettiest cities in south florida. The growing mystery here, what caused so much of this massive building to fall to the ground i know that the efforts are focused on engineering, that were looking at what might be concerns with the construction or condition of the building we do not have any information at this time to really say tonight, we spoke to surfsides mayor. You run a small town in the spotlight for what no one could imagine. Buildings dont fall down in america like this, they dont. They fall for a reason we dont know what the reason is, but well find out today is not that day. Today is the day to save lives and pulling people from the rubble we will find out why that building fell down. This has been an agonizing day to families and friends of those unaccounted for. Kerry sanders spent the day with some of them and others that survived the terrifying collapse. Reporter a day of waiting for news about loved ones, but answers are slow in coming among the missing, a sixyearold girl adopted into a loving family, all tonight still unaccounted for. The cell phone is ringing but they dont pick up. After years of fighting, they got their daughter she was there. She was there. She was an amazing person and it is not fair its not fair. They had just come from argentina to get covid vaccines it is anna. And the baby if you see them reporter she showed me pictures, the president of paraguays sisterinlaw here with her family, celebrating a birthday have you heard anything no, no, no. Nothing at all god is bigger than anything else in this world. Reporter you still have hope . Thats the last thing you lose in this Life Reporter so many People Holding on to hope like the bart familys loved ones, visiting from colombia so their daughter could take summer tennis lessons. Any Family Members who have unaccounted for Family Members, i need you to step up. Reporter throughout the day the number of unaccounted would climb, and those who got out realize how lucky they were. Thankful me and my parents are alive, were able to get out safely it is terrifying you think of people that are still there reporter building residents say in the darkness, the building was enveloped in a cloud of concrete dust. Those who found the Still Standing stairwell inched their way down but realized they were cut off. Opened the door to our apartment which is a long hallway, it was covered in debris. We were like, oh my god. Is that when you started to realize a portion of the building must have collapsed . We knew something fell and came down, we had no idea of the magnitude. Kerry sanders joining me now whats the word from the wreckage are they hearing any signs of life at all i have just spoken to metro dade, miamidade assistant fire chief who tells me they hear what sounds like tapping sounds from underneath the debris thats a hopeful sign, there may be more survivors. Thats great. The mayor telling me, theyre not giving up. The Rescue Effort will go on for some time. Thank you. At least a dozen people were reported injured when the building collapsed tom llamas is at Jackson Memorial hospital where some are are being treated. What are you hearing there, tom reporter having grown up and worked in miami, i can tell you with an emergency like this, you would expect a Trauma Center like he incredibly busy with victims, it is not thats inc troubling. What we do know is that Trauma Surgeons from the hospital were rushed with bags of blood for transfusion, but also with surgical tools in case they had to do amputations there in the mountain of rubble. We know two survivors were brought to the hospital, a mother and a daughter they somehow survived after falling from the ninth floor to the fifth floor. Their father is still missing. I had a chance to speak with his best friend who is Still Holding out hope if you had a chance to talk to him, what would you say . Keep Fighting Keep fighting, you know im holding out hope. I am praying. Reporter thats just one hoping, praying for any signs of life tonight. Lester tom llamas, thank you. As the tragedy unfolds, many are asking how could this happen sam brock tonight on whats known about the collapse. Reporter in the wake of destruction and tragedy, a critical question hangs over this ocean front community. Looks like a bomb went off. Reporter how could this have happened . I have never seen a collapse like this that didnt involve some sort of earthquake or Something Else reporter the Champlain Towers South Condo Building constructed in 1981 is 12 stories high, containing 134 units it began sinking years ago, according to a recent report from Florida International university looking at thousands of buildings. The particular building identified as a building that moved in the 1990s reporter he says in the 90s it was sinking two millimeters a year, though it is unclear if that continued or contributed to todays collapse Officials Say work on the buildings roof has been ongoing, would have likely involved an inspection and a permit structural inspections are required after 40 years. A big question will be why did the Structure Stand for 40 years and fall this morning. Reporter to answer that, the American Society of Civil Engineers glen bell says investigators will examine samples of slab and concrete from the debris. Whats in the rubble that could be insightful to investigators . The way it is piled up, the way pieces are broken can tell you a lot, to the trained eye, about how the failure initiated, where it might have initiated. Reporter this contractor worked on other complexes in the area. There are two items. Concrete and steel if the steel is exposed and loses structural integrity, the concrete fails instantaneously. Thats how it fails. Reporter determining the ac cause experts say could take months or years. As you can see, it is the east ocean facing side of the building that collapsed and there are other buildings like this up and down the coast Civil Engineers tell us it is extremely unlikely they would suffer a similar failure. Lester sam brock, thank you. In 60 seconds, the days other news, including a big deal Just Announced by the president. President biden announcing today we have a deal on a bipartisan Infrastructure Plan, but it is far from a done deal. Lets get more from nbcs geoff bennett. Reporter a Major Development for bipartisanship and the biden agenda. We have a deal. Reporter the president embracing a 1. 2 trillion agreement to improve and expand the nations roads, bridges and broadband, an Infrastructure Plan crafted by a group of democratic and republican senators. We have been talking about the need for a large Infrastructure Package for decades. Today we are delivering said many times before, theres nothing our nation cant do when we decide to do it together. Reporter Democratic Leaders making clear they intend to push through at the same time a separate package of biden priorities, such as paid leave, affordable child care, clean energy. For me investment on our physical and Human Infrastructure is inextricably intertwined. Both make us better off and stronger. Reporter the compromise still faces serious hurdles in the house and Senate Republican Senate Leader Mitch Mcconnell has not yet signed off, and some progressive senators say the compromise doesnt go far enough. My party is divided, but my party is also rational if they cant get everything they want, but all they have in the bill before them is good, are they going to vote no i dont think so reporter geoff bennett, nbc news, the white house. With growing concern about the covid Delta Variant, a cautionary tale tonight. While more than 17 million americans have been at least partially vaccinated, the numbers are lagging badly in parts of missouri. Here is gabe gutierrez. Reporter while Covid Vaccination rates are rising in much of the country, tonight most missouri counties are under 40 fully vaccinated one is at just 13 hospitals in springfield are now stretched thin what do you attribute the covid surge to two things. One, the Delta Variant is very much prevalent in our community, and the second thing is the extremely low Vaccination Rates in southwest missouri. Reporter missouri leads the nation wit the highest rate of new covid infections, neighboring arkansas this week also reported a biggest oneday jump in cases in more than three months i dont think theres anything that says it couldnt happen in any community anywhere. Reporter in other states lik minnesota, the Positivity Rate plummeted to lowest since the pandemic began. Abbott northwestern hospital, theres been a dramatic drop in Covid Patients doctors say those that are being hospitalized are virtually all unvaccinated what does that tell you . It tells me vaccines are effective reducing infections of covid, specifically severe infections requiring icu admissions. Reporter because of the sharp drop in covid cases, here in minnesota one popup testing site closed today, this one at the Minneapolis Convention center is set to close tomorrow, lester gabe gutierrez, thank you. The cdc extended the pandemic Eviction Moratorium set to expire in days millions of renters are getting more time. Here is morgan radford. Reporter tonight, temporary relief for Supora Sosa Packing Up Everything she owns after receiving an eviction notice. All of this will go into the street . Today, the cdc extended its federal moratorium on Housing Evictions that was set to expire june 30th. That means tenants like sosa, who are among the more than 6 million households behind on rent, now have one more month before their landlords can evict them lot of nerves, a lot of tension youre always anxious. Reporter black and latino residents are most at risk, facing rates of potential eviction almost four times higher than white renters. Housing advocates say the extension is essential. Keeping tens of millions of people who would otherwis lose their homes during a Global Pandemic stably housed reporter congress allocated 46 billion to assist renters and landlords. This Moratorium Extension expected to be the last buys more time to get the funds distributed. Lester up next, the huge outpouring for Britney Spears delicia this is where all our recycling is sorted 1. 2 Million Pounds every day, helping to make San Francisco the greenest big city in america. But thats not all youll find here. There are hundreds of goodpaying jobs, with most new workers hired from bayviewhunters point. We dont just work at recology, we own it, creating opportunity and a better planet. Now, thats making a difference. Back with a massive show of support for Britney Spears after she asked a judge to end the conservatorship over her life lets get more now from nbcs erin mclaughlin. Reporter after Britney Spears had her say in court, lashing out at her conservatorship and her fathers role in it, telling the cour all i want is to own my money and for this to end, tonight, the nation captivated by the pop icons predicament. Twitter alone accounting for a million messages in 24 hours, roughly half of them with freebritney, including celebrities. Fight on, britney we are with you. Reporter exboyfriend Justin Timberlake whose past treatment of the superstar is controversial, tweeting no one should ever be held against their will, others scrutinizing every detail of her statement, including describing working seven days a week with no days off, losing control of her possessions, credit card, cash, phone, passport saying staff watched me change every day naked. I had no privacy door for my room. This is a Human Trafficking issue, should be treated as such. Reporter while her testimony struck a chord with the country, legal experts say theres much we dont know about her case her lawyers have yet to petition the court to end the conservatorship. Lester erin mclaughlin, thank you. Up next, heroic work of the First Responders here. Another look tonight at whats left of that Condo Building that collapsed in surfside, florida. Telemundos julio bacara is at the Community Center jus a few blocks away. Julio . Reporter good evening, lester. This is the place where families are coming, looking for loved ones, desperate for any information. A few moments ago, we met a woman named erica whose friend was inside the building when it collapsed. Im still in shock. My mother is telling me, dont give up hope dont give up hope who am i kidding you think i am going to see someone crawl out of there it would be an absolute miracle, i would love to have it happen i think i have to come to terms that hes passed. Reporter her friend is one of the 99 people still missing. While you can feel the pain and the anguish of so many here, we have seen a Community Coming together, neighbors bringing food and water to help each other go through what is certain to be a long night lester julio, thank you. Whatever comes of the disaster in the hours and days ahead is largely in the hands of heroic First Responders most of the building is gone theyre trained to spring into action at a moments notice. Americas heroes getting a shocking call theyre doing everything they can to save lives that is ongoing, and theyre not going to rest the men and women of miamidade fire and rescue putting their lives on the line in the race to save others here. I am always in awe of them. When you see what they do, were rushing rushing in, thats amazing. We could hear somebody yelling, so i got a little bit closer, i could hear it was a young boy, you know, and he was sticking his arm up through the rubble. First responders sprung into Action Crawling and digging through rubble, frantic to free him. Miraculously, they did. He was 10 years old. I just told him, were here, were not going to leave you. So many still unaccounted for. Sadly thats what these brave men and women will endure in the coming hours and possibly days, a search for who knows how many they do the unthinkable and for that we thank them thats nightly news for thursday from surfside, florida. Thank you for watching, everyone im lester holt. Please take care of yourself and each other. Good night next on nbc bay area news tonight, summer is here and were free to go, but are people gone to San Francisco . A new poll reveals what many already know. Residents feel the quality of life in the city is getting worse. So whats being done about it . Also mixed messages about booster shots. Do we need one or not . Our covid doctor weighs in. She got covid nearly a year ago but shes still experiencing symptoms. We go inside a bay area long haulers clinic looking for answers. And late u