Five dead, 156 still missing in Florida building collapse as searchers race against time | Reuters News Agency

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Five dead, 156 still missing in Florida building collapse as searchers race against time

Searchers worked early on Sunday (June 27) to find more than 150 missing residents amid the rubble of a Florida condo building that collapsed three days ago as questions arose about the tower’s structural integrity.

The death toll rose to five on Saturday after emergency workers found a victim in their methodical search of the site in Surfside, a shore town near Miami, Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said during an evening news briefing.

Workers also found some human remains; three other victims were identified and their family members notified, she said.

Officials said they harbored hope that some of the 156 people unaccounted for might be alive.

Aided by dogs, infrared scanning and heavy equipment, rescuers hope that people can survive in air pockets that may have formed in the debris.

A 2018 report showed that an engineer found evidence of major structural damage beneath the pool deck and “concrete deterioration” in the underground parking garage of the 12-story oceanfront condominium.

The report, released by town officials, was produced for the condominium board in preparation for a major repair project set for this year.

It was not immediately clear whether the damage described in the report was connected to the collapse about 1:30 a.m. (0530 GMT) on Thursday.

Officials said the county would audit all buildings more than 40 years old within the next 30 days to ensure they have been recertified.

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