Florida Building Collapse: Mayor Says Rest of Condo Will Be Demolished as Death Toll Grows to 22
While search and rescue operations continue in the Florida building collapse, the Miami-Dade County mayor authorized the demolition of the remaining units at the Surfside condo building that partially collapsed last week.
But Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said officials were still evaluating the possible impacts on the existing rubble and determining the best timeline to begin the demolition. Levine Cava noted that it would be weeks before the demolition can happen.
According to KVIA, Levine Cava said the demolition of the building would proceed based on the engineers' recommendations.
The Miami-Dade County mayor noted that signing an emergency order now allowing the demolition would help the process move quickly, especially once officials already decided how and when the rest of the building should come down. She said the demolition would most likely take weeks.
When asked whether authorities would wait until every missing individual recovered before beginning demolition, Levine Cava responded that they were very concerned not to compromise their search. However, they also consider the building itself poses certain risks, so they have to balance those things in their decision.
Levine Cava also shared that two more bodies were recovered Friday, July 2, at the site of the Florida building collapse, leaving 22 people dead. She added that 126 people are still unaccounted for.
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Rescue Workers in Florida Building Collapse
Search teams that have been combing through concrete up to 16 feet deep were facing new challenges since the remainder of the building was unstable and a hurricane heads in the direction of Florida.
Around 55 of 136 total units of the building pancaked to the ground during the June 24 deadly collapse, which shook the neighborhood in the north of Miami Beach.
Jimmy Patronis, the State Fire Marshal, said the remaining condo units should be demolished to finish the mission. Patronis noted that the building would have to go because there's too much risk of working under it.
Meanwhile, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said the state is working on a "dual track" with the collapse site and Hurricane Elsa possibly hitting South Florida in the coming days, CNN reported.
Body of Seven-Year-Old Daughter of Miami Firefighter Found
Officials said search and rescue teams on Thursday night, July 1, found the body of the seven-year-old daughter of a Miami firefighter and one other victim.
According to the officials, the body of Stella Cattarossi was found seven days after the collapse of Champlain South Tower.
Friends of the victim posted online that the girl was found sleeping alongside her mother, Graciela. However, authorities have not confirmed whether the mother's body has been found.
The father of the victim, Enrique Arango, is a ten-year veteran of the Miami Fire-Rescue Department. Arango was present when the body of Stella was recovered.
According to Miami Fire Rescue Captain Ignatius Carroll, when Arango was made aware they were close to where his daughter may have been, he stood side-by-side with some of his fellow firefighters to help recover his daughter's body Daily Mail reported.
WATCH: Surfside Building Collapse: Death Toll Rises to 22 as Officials Discuss Building Demolition - From Global News