United States: Death toll rises to 36 in Florida condo collapse

Hundreds of search and rescue workers are looking for remains and survivors at the site of a collapsed condominium building.

The death toll rose to 36 after eight bodies were recovered on Tuesday; 29 victims have been identified, Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said.

Cava said that 109 people are unaccounted for at Champlain Towers South, though not all are confirmed to have been in the building when it fell.

“It’s day 13 and our search and rescue teams are out in full force continuing their work despite the weather and dangerous conditions. These heroes & sheroes ran into a collapsed building on June 24 — and they haven’t stopped since,” She tweeted.

On June 24, at approximately 1:25 a.m. EDT, Champlain Towers South, a 12-story beachfront condominium in the Miami suburb of Surfside, Florida, United States, partially collapsed.

Long-term degradation of reinforced concrete support structures in the underground parking garage due to water penetration and corrosion of the reinforcing steel is being considered as a factor (or the cause) of the collapse. (ILKHA)