Death toll from Surfside, Florida condo collapse climbs 64 as search for survivors winds down
Memorial and vigil wall set up in Surfside, Florida (Credit: WSWS Media)
After two weeks of search operations to find those missing in the rubble, first responders paused their work briefly at 1:20 a.m. Thursday and held a moment of silence to honor the victims of the tragedy. No survivors have been found since the early hours after the collapse on June 24.
In light of the rising death count and inability to find survivors, authorities announced yesterday that the operation was being recategorized from a “search-and-rescue mission” to a “recovery effort,” meaning that there was little to no possibility of saving any additional lives. Rescue crews have said many victims were found in their beds, with the collapse proving to be one of the deadliest mass casualty building disasters in US history, not including fires or terrorist attacks.
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After the fall of a Florida condo, some residents confront their future on the coast Jenny Jarvie © Provided by The LA Times Rescue workers work in the rubble at the Champlain Towers South in Surfside, Fla., on June 25, 2021. (Gerald Herbert/Associated Press)
Sitting on his balcony, watching palm trees sway in front of the turquoise blue of the Atlantic Ocean, Christian Ginman could no longer just enjoy the view.
He kept thinking about the collapse of the Champlain Towers South less than a week ago, and how the building fell without warning in the middle of the night, 13 floors pancaking into a mountain of debris. He owns a weekend apartment five blocks away.
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