Four more bodies are found in rubble after explosives demolished what was left of collapsed Miami condo tower: 117 residents are STILL missing with Tropical Storm Elsa approaching
- Miami-Dade officials allowed rescue crews to resume search for missing victims of Surfside condo collapse
- Three more bodies were pulled from the rubble by search crews on Monday morning in South Florida
- Two identified as Tzvi, 66, and Ingrid Ainsworth, a married couple who split time between Australia and Miami
- Resumption of search comes after controlled demolition of second condo tower late on Sunday night
- So far rescuers have recovered the remains of 28 people, with 117 still missing; 26 have been identified
- On Sunday, Miami-Dade police identified David Epstein, 58, as one of the 24 people known to have perished
- Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava told NBC search resumed just before midnight on Sunday
- The demolition was carried out by Maryland-based company Controlled Demolition Inc.
- Israeli search-and-rescue expert Col. Golan Vach, who has been working with local rescue teams, said on Sunday afternoon, however, that he was doubtful that any survivors remained in the rubble
- It came as Tropical Storm Elsa is scheduled to make landfall in Florida on Tuesday night
- The approaching storm had added urgency to the effort for fear it could knock down what remained of the building in an uncontrolled manner
The remains of three more people were recovered Monday as rescuers got the all-clear to resume looking for victims at a collapsed South Florida condo after crews demolished the last of the building in a planned explosion and plume of dust.
Authorities said on Monday that the controlled demolition will allow for quicker recovery and identification of those missing in the rubble since most of the master bedrooms were inaccessible to search crews beforehand.
As of early Monday morning, the remains of 28 people had been recovered from the Champlain Towers South condominium in Surfside while 117 remain missing. So far, 26 of the victims have been identified.
Two of those whose bodies were recovered on Monday have been identified as 68-year-old Tzvi Ainsworth and his wife, Ingrid Ainsworth, 66. The couple, who moved to Miami from Melbourne, Australia, had an apartment on the 11th floor.
Rescue workers lift a tarp containing recovered remains at the site of the collapsed Champlain Towers South condo building on Monday
The remaining structure was demolished Sunday, which partially collapsed June 24. Many people remain unaccounted for
Three more bodies were found at the site of the demolished condo building on Monday morning
Rescue workers move a stretcher containing recovered remains at the site of the collapsed Champlain Towers South condo building
Tzvi (pictured far left) and Ingrid (pictured far right) Ainsworth, members of the Jewish community from Melbourne, lived in an apartment on the 11th floor of the building. Their remains were identified on Monday
The Ainsworths, who were well known among Melbourne's small Jewish community, split their time between Florida and Australia.
Their son in South Africa recently had a baby, and their son in Florida had a baby just days ago, their niece Chana Harrel told the Associated Press on Saturday.
Approaching Tropical Storm Elsa added urgency to the demolition with forecasts suggesting the system could bring strong winds and heavy rains. The Miami area will start feeling some effects from Elsa Monday afternoon.
The outer bands of the storm, which made landfall in western Cuba at around 2pm on Monday, were hitting South Florida, where meteorologists measured occasional wind gusts of up to 40mph. There were also reports of heavy downpours and tornado watches.
The problem for the collapse site would come if the storm moves north, instead of continuing on its apparent track along the Gulf Coast side of Florida.
If it moves north, the rain and gusty winds would shift inland and batter sections along Florida's southern shoreline, according to AccuWeather.
Tropical Storm Elsa swept along Cuba’s southern coast early on Monday, and forecasters said it made landfall on the island’s central shore by midafternoon. Maximum sustained winds of 60mph were recorded at Cienaga de Zapata National Park some 80 miles southeast of Havana along the coast of western Cuba.
By Sunday, Cuban officials had evacuated 180,000 people as a precaution against the possibility of heavy flooding from a storm that already battered several Caribbean islands, killing at least three people.
Workers demolished what remained standing of the Champlain Towers South condominium in Surfside on Sunday evening in a bid to open up further areas for rescue
So far, rescuers have recovered the remains of 28 people, with 117 still missing. The remains of 24 people have been identified
Rescuers hope the demolition will open up areas such as parts of the garage section of the building for the first time
Officials initially believed it would take weeks to tear down the damaged building
Officials made the announcement Saturday that they were bringing the building down out of fears it could collapse on its own
Search and rescue operations resumed soon after the remaining structure was razed
The images above show the progression of the demolition of the remaining structure late on Sunday
Most of those evacuated stayed at relatives' homes, others went to government shelters, and hundreds living in mountainous areas took refuge in caves prepared for emergencies.
Elsa was forecast to cross over Cuba by Monday night and then head for Florida, where Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency in 15 counties, including in Miami-Dade County, where a high-rise condominium building collapsed on June 24.
Late Monday morning, Elsa’s center was about 140 miles south-southeast of Havana and moving northwest at 14 mph. Its maximum sustained winds were about 65 mph, the National Hurricane Center in Miami said.
President Joe Biden declared a state of emergency in Florida because of the storm, making federal aid possible.
Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava told the Associated Press that the demolition went 'exactly as planned' around 10:30pm on Sunday.
The remains of three more people were pulled from the debris in Surfside on Monday after rescue efforts resumed
A pile of debris is seen above on the morning after the controlled demolition in Surfside on Monday
The image above shows another vantage point of the rubble of the demolished condo tower in Surfside on Monday morning
Approaching Tropical Storm Elsa had added urgency to the demolition plans with forecasts suggesting the system could bring strong winds. President Joe Biden declared a state of emergency in Florida because of the storm, making federal aid possible. The image above shows Elsa on a satellite as it reached mainland Cuba at 3pm Eastern Time on Monday
The image above shows large gray clouds over Havana just before Elsa made landfall in Cuba on Monday
Residents of Tampa, Florida prepare for the arrival of Tropical Storm Elsa on Monday
A tropical storm warning is in effect for much of the west coast Florida as the storm is expected to make landfall on Tuesday
The storm made landfall in western Cuba at around 2pm on Monday afternoon. It is expected to reach the Florida Keys on Tuesday morning and the mainland US on Tuesday evening
Tornado threats remain possible for most of Florida due to the approaching tropical storm
Significant storm surge is likely in the Florida Keys and the west coast of the state, according to the forecast
South Florida could see intermittent periods of downpours due to the approaching tropical storm
As of 2pm on Monday, most of the western coast of Florida was under a tropical storm warning
Wind gusts of up to 40mph were reported in South Florida as the storm's outer bands laced the Miami region
The eastern coast of Southern Florida is likely to see no more than 2 inches of rain due to the storm
Wind gusts of up to 40mph could be felt in South Florida, possibly hampering rescue efforts in Surfside
The image above indicates that the storm poses some risk to lives and property in Cuba, Florida, and the eastern seaboard of the United States
The storm is expected to crawl up the eastern seaboard before venturing out into the Atlantic Ocean later in the week
'It was picture perfect. Exactly what we were told would happen,' Levine Cava said in an interview shortly after the demolition.
She also explained Monday that rescue workers scoured the building to see if there were any pets left behind before the demolition.
'The latest information we have is that there are no animals remaining in the building,' Levine Cava said.
The demolition on Sunday night also was key to resuming the search for victims of the June 24 collapse and is even expected to open new areas for rescue teams to work in.
Crews immediately began clearing some of the new debris so rescuers could start making their way into parts of the underground garage that is of particular interest.
It wasn't long before cranes were again in motion at the site. Levine Cava said in an interview on NBC’s TODAY that crews were back searching the rubble before midnight.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis gives a statement to the media in Miami on Monday
Once there, they were hoping to get a clearer picture of voids that may exist in the rubble as they search for those believed to be trapped under the fallen wing of the Champlain Towers South in Surfside that collapsed June 24.
No one has been rescued alive since the first hours after the collapse.
On Sunday, Miami-Dade police identified David Epstein, 58, as one of the latest of 24 people known to have perished in the fallen tower. His remains were recovered on Friday.
The body of David's wife, Bonnie, 56, was recovered days earlier. The couple, who worked in real estate investments, moved to Florida to retire early so that they could pursue their love of water sports, according to a friend.
Richard Oller, a friend of the couple, wrote on Facebook that David and Bonnie lived on the ninth floor of the building with their dog. The couple is survived by their son, Jonathan, 26, a resident of Brooklyn, New York.
Cranes are working to clear debris at the site of a demolished condo on Monday morning in Surfside, Florida
Rescue efforts at the site resumed just before midnight late on Sunday night - moments after the controlled demolition
A makeshift memorial was set up just feet away from the site of the collapsed condo in Surfside, Florida
The decision by officials to bring the rest of the building down was brought on by the approach of Tropical Storm Elsa and fears that the structure might come down in an uncontrolled fashion
Air conditioning units and other debris are seen above at the site of the controlled demolition in Surfside, Florida on Monday
So far, the remains of 24 people have been identified while at least 118 people remain missing as of early Monday morning
A sign that reads 'Surfside Strong' hangs on the window of a home the morning after the partially collapsed 12-story Champlain Towers South condo was taken down with a controlled demolition
Some residents had pleaded to return to their homes one last time before the demolition to retrieve belongings left in haste, but were denied.
Others wondered about the pets left behind, even though officials said they found no signs of animals after making three final sweeps, including the use of drones to peer into the abandoned structure.
Levine Cava said officials have been explaining their decisions to the survivors since the beginning of the search-and-rescue effort.
'We understand that families realize the fact that time has gone by, they realize that the chances are growing all dimmer,' she said on TODAY.
'They are with us, they know what we've been doing every step of the way.'
The mayor also said that teams are working to save any personal items they can.
'We have been asking them to go ahead and catalog all of their precious belongings so that as soon as they are recovered, we'll be able to make a match.'
Rescue crews are seen on Monday working at the site of the collapsed Champlain Towers South condo building after the remaining structure was demolished on Sunday
Rescuers were given the all-clear to resume work looking for victims on Monday morning
The demolition Sunday night was key to resuming the search for victims of the June 24 collapse and is even expected to open new areas for rescue teams to work in
On Sunday, Miami-Dade police identified David Epstein, 58, as one of the 24 people known to have perished in the fallen tower. His remains were recovered on Friday
Many people are unaccounted for in the rubble of the building which partially collapsed on June 24
Rescue crews are seen above on Monday working at the site of the collapsed Champlain Towers South condo building after the remaining structure was demolished late on Sunday
No one has been found alive since the first hours after the disaster.
On Sunday afternoon, Col. Golan Vach, an Israeli search-and-rescue operations expert who has been working at the site, said he was doubtful that further survivors would be found.
'I believe right now that the chances are close to zero, unfortunately,' Vach told reporters with Local 10.
'We are trying to be hopeful, but realistic at the same time,' he said of conversations with families of the victims.
Search efforts had been suspended Saturday to allow demolition workers to drill holes for the explosives needed to bring the damaged Surfside building down.
Through the night, rescuers were awaiting the 'all-clear' after the demolition so they could dive back into the task of trying to locate any survivors buried under the rubble.
Officials previously said the search could resume from 15 minutes to an hour after the detonation.
'We are standing by. We are ready to go in, no matter the time of night,' Levine Cava told a news conference earlier Sunday night.
Concerns had mounted that the damaged building was at risk of falling on its own. Parts of the remaining building shifted on Thursday, prompting a 15-hour suspension in the work.
Officials first announced plans to bring the partially collapsed building down at a news conference on Saturday morning.
The decision to raise the damaged building came as Tropical Storm Elsa bore down on the area
The demolition was carried out by Maryland-based company Controlled Demolition Inc
Stephanie Rioja prayed as the partially collapsed towers were demolished
Crowds watched the damaged building fall Sunday evening
Levine Cava issued a State of Emergency Saturday for Tropical Storm Elsa and made the 'dramatic decision' to sign an emergency order to raze the building before the storm hits the area.
DeSantis said during Saturday morning's press conference that they wouldn't let people who escaped go back and get their possessions before the demolition.
'At the end of the day, that building is too unsafe to let people go back in,' DeSantis said.
'I know there’s a lot of people who were able to get out, fortunately, who have things there. We’re very sensitive to that. But I don’t think that there’s any way you could let someone go back up into that building given the shape that it’s in now.'
In terms of the demolition, officials were told Friday evening that it would take weeks to safely tear down the remaining structure, but Cava said Saturday morning that the Maryland-based demolition company Controlled Demolition Inc. came forward the previous night.
Controlled Demolition Inc. says on its website that it has demolished 'thousands of structures across six continents using explosives.' The method of demolition was 'energetic felling,' which uses small detonation devices and relies on the force of gravity.
Meteorologists predict the eye of the storm, which was downgraded from a hurricane to a tropical storm, won't directly hit the area, but Surfside and the surrounding municipalities could feel the brunt of strong wind gusts.
While the Caribbean Islands are expected to be hit hardest, Florida officials feared the storm's gusts could knock down the remaining structure 'in a direction we don't want it to go,' Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett said.
As of Sunday, AccuWeather forecasters said Elsa was most likely to enter the eastern Gulf of Mexico. The storm was predicted to make landfall north of Tampa and head along the west coast of Florida.
But Southeast Florida will start to feel its effects Monday afternoon through the middle of the week. According to AccuWeather, Florida is expected to get enough rainfall to cause flooding along with damaging winds.
A Miami-Dade County Police boat patrols in front of the Champlain Towers South condo building on Friday, shortly before officials made the decision to demolish the remaining structure with explosives
Workers transport a stretcher with remains extricated from the rubble on Friday, near the Champlain Towers South condo building, where 118 people remain missing more than a week after it partially collapsed
The official cause of the June 24 collapse is under investigation. A 2018 engineering report found that the building's ground-floor pool deck was resting on a concrete slab that had 'major structural damage' and needed extensive repairs. The report also found 'abundant cracking' of concrete columns, beams and walls in the parking garage.
Just two months before the building fell, the president of its board wrote a letter to residents saying that structural problems identified in the 2018 inspection had 'gotten significantly worse' and that major repairs would cost at least $15.5 million.
President Joe Biden and first lady Jill visited the site and the makeshift memorial last week, and met with local and state officials in Florida, victims' families and first responders.
'I promise you: I know. What you're doing here is incredible,' the president told first responders.
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