Day 17 Surfside Condo Collapse: Additional Victims Recovered, Death Toll At 86
SURFSIDE (CBSMiami) – Recovery efforts at the site of the Champlain Towers South collapse in Surfside continued overnight Friday and into Saturday morning.
The death toll is now 86, 62 victims have been identified, with 43 people potentially unaccounted for.
Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said the recovery efforts had to pause Saturday morning due to inclement weather.
"Please pray for all of those who have lost loved ones and whose hearts are broken from this unspeakable tragedy, and for those who are still waiting," she said.
Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett announced he is putting together a fund to help businesses near the site of the collapsed condo that have been shut down over the past two weeks. Many of the businesses were delivering food and helping recovery efforts how they could.
"Much of the original pile at the site is now at ground level or below, and work there remains intense," he said.
"The rubble from the condo collapse will likely be cleared sooner than expected," Burkett added.
Miami-Dade police said they had identified the following victims on Saturday: Nicole Langesfeld, 26, Miguel Pazos, 55, Richard Rovirosa, 60, Oresme Gil Guerra, 60, Ana Mora, 70, Elena Chavez, 87, Elena Blasser, 64, Marina Restrepo Azen, 76, a child of 5-years of age and a 44-year old whose families did not want to be identified.
Miami-Dade police spokesman Alvaro Zabaleta concluded the briefing by announcing they will be doing one briefing per day going forward.
The road to the collapse site is a near-constant caravan of police cars, search teams and dump trucks which are loaded with concrete debris from the collapse.
The mayor said 13 million pounds of concrete and debris have been hauled away so far.
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Every victim recovered is also being handled with extreme care and compassion. There are rabbis and other faith leaders embedded in the operation so specific prayers and protocols can be followed to honor both the faith traditions and the integrity of the investigation.
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Rescue workers now focused on finding remains instead of survivors are vowing to keep up their search for victims until they have cleared all the rubble.
Neighbors 4 Neighbors has established a fund to assist families impacted by the collapse as well as help feed first responders. To contribute, call Neighbors 4 Neighbors at (305) 597-4404 or go to neighbors4neighbors.org/surfsidefund.