"I Do Know That Time Is Ticking': Search And Rescue Hangs On To Hope For Survivors
MIAMI (CBSMiami) - Rescuers continue to chip away at the concrete rubble, as the search and rescue mission moves into day six.
"The number of people accounted for now stands at 136, with 150 unaccounted for," said Mayor Danielle Levine Cava on Monday evening. "The number of confirmed deaths is eleven."
All 11 victims have been identified. They are Stacie Dawn Fang, 54; Antonio Lozano, 83 and Gladys Lozano, 79; Manuel LaFont, 54; Leon Oliwkowicz, 80; Christina Beatriz Elvira, 74; Marcus Joseph Guara, 52; Frank Kleiman, 55; Michael David Altman, 50; Anna Ortiz, 46, and her son Luis Bermudez, 26.
"As we come across small voids, that's where we continue to focus and continue moving and digging through deeper to see if we can find anything further," explained Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Chief Alan Cominsky.
Crews made up of hundreds of personnel on hand, still, look for survivors.
"I do know that time is ticking and all the different variables that go into somebody surviving change and are extremely dynamic," says EMS physician Dr. Benjamin Abo. "So I am still hopeful. I pray, and I work hard, hoping that we are going to get to more people."
"We are trying to do things as safe as possible," he continued, "So that we don't get hurt, our dogs don't get hurt, and also so that if there are any survivors, they don't get further hurt."
Steve Rosenthal survived the collapse and was rescued from his balcony.
"You heard people shouting 'Help me.' It was pretty scary, let me tell you," he said.
It still has not been determined what caused the catastrophic collapse, but there were apparent concerns.
An engineer's report from 2018 showed the Champlain Towers South condo building had "abundant cracking in the concrete columns, beams, and walls in the parking garage" as well as "major structural damage to the concrete slab, caused by failed waterproofing" that, if not repaired in a timely fashion, would cause the concrete to deteriorate.
The top priority, though, continues to be search and rescue and eventually bringing peace to these families.
Another lawsuit was filed on Monday. There are now two class-action lawsuits so far.
