Eight more bodies have been recovered from the site of the collapsed Florida condo building, bringing the death toll to 54, Miami-Dade's mayor says. Eighty-six people are still unaccounted for.
The announcement followed increasingly somber reports from emergency officials, who said they sought to prepare families for the worst.
Miami-Dade Assistant Fire Chief Raide Jadallah told families at a private briefing that crews would stop using rescue dogs and listening devices but would continue to search for remains. “We noticed the stress, the force of the pressure of the walls and the floors just pretty much again sustained no chance of life,” Jadallah said.
No one has been pulled out alive since the first hours after the 12-story Champlain Towers South building fell on June 24.Twice during the search operation, rescuers had to suspend the mission because of the instability of the remaining part of the condominium building and the preparation for demolition.
Authorities are launching a grand jury investigation into the collapse and at least six lawsuits have been filed by Champlain Towers families.