Florida Building Collapses, Many Still Missing

Surfside, Florida —(Map)

Last Thursday, a large part of a building near Miami, Florida collapsed. The building was home to hundreds of people. At least nine people have died and roughly 150 are still missing. Rescue workers are trying to find and help survivors.

The Champlain Towers South is a 12-story building in Surfside, Florida, near Miami. The building was home to hundreds of people. In the early morning hours last Thursday, a large section of the building collapsed, destroying about 55 of the 136 apartments in the building.

Over 80 different rescue units rushed to the area to help. At least 35 people who were still in the building were rescued. So far nine people are believed to have died, and eleven have been injured. Around 150 people are still missing.

Rescue teams have been working hard since Thursday to try to find and save people who may still be trapped under the fallen building.

Over 80 different rescue units rushed to the area to help. At least 35 people who were still in the building were rescued. Rescue teams have been working hard since Thursday to try to find and save people who may still be trapped.

Rescue efforts have been made difficult because there have been fires underneath the rubble. There are also concerns about dangerous chemicals escaping. It’s also very challenging to move some parts of the broken-up building without disturbing other areas, possibly putting survivors in danger.

Still, rescue workers have been able to dig a trench that is 40 feet (12 meters) deep and 125 feet (38 meters) long that they hope could allow them to find and rescue more people.

Experts are still trying to figure out why Champlain Towers South collapsed. The building was 40 years old. Because of its age, the building had been inspected, and repair work was supposed to begin soon.

The city of Surfside has shared a report made by a company that inspected the building in 2018. The report suggested that the building would need a lot of work in order to keep it safe. The report said that in some important areas, the building’s concrete was weak.

Another possible cause of the collapse is that the ground under some parts of the building was sinking more quickly than other parts. When part of a building sinks more quickly than the rest, it can create stresses on the building that can lead to collapses.

There are two other towers (the “L-shaped” buildings in the top-right, above) that are part of the same group of buildings as Champlain Towers South. People who live in those buildings have been encouraged to leave until the buildings can be checked for safety.

There are two other towers that are part of the same group of buildings as Champlain Towers South. People who live in those buildings have been encouraged to leave until the buildings can be checked for safety.

People working for city and county governments in the area are now rushing to inspect all buildings that are 40 years old or older to make sure they are safe.