Day 18: Surfside Condo Collapse Death Toll Climbs To 90; 3 More Children Identified
SURFSIDE (CBSMiami) – Search-and-recovery efforts continued uninterrupted overnight and into Sunday morning at the site of the Champlain Towers South collapse in Surfside.
"Our teams worked tirelessly, as ever, to make progress on the collapse site. Truly, it is a remarkable operation," Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava Mayor Cava said. "Our team continues to make incredible progress delayering the pile."
In all, first responders have removed 14 million pounds of concrete and debris from the collapse site.
According to Cava, the death toll increased overnight to 90. She added that 71 victims have been identified, with 31 people potentially unaccounted for.
"Our hearts and minds are always with those we've lost and with the families who are grieving and those that are still waiting," Cava said.
Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett said he held a meeting with his engineer to discuss Champlain Towers North, the sister building of the one that collapsed.
"We are constantly in there doing visual inspections. Core samples have been sent and apparently we're getting back some of the results. The early results on the concrete is that concrete strength is very good – at or beyond the levels it should be," he said.
While the initial results are good, Burkett said many more tests are being conducted.
As for delicate recovery effort, Burkett said the "intensity of the work seems to have increased further."
"The work is still so delicate that we've even found unbroken wine bottles in the rubble and recovered them," he said. "We're also finding personal possession as small as rings, which are also being returned to the site storage area, categorized photographed and saved for the families."
WATCH: Sunday Press Conference On Recovery Efforts
On Saturday he 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.
The following victims, including three children, were identified on Sunday: Maria Gabriela Camou, 64; Julio Cesar Velasquez, 66; Lorenzo De Oliveira Leone, 5; Alfredo Leone, 48; Maria Torre, 76; Richard Augustine, 77; Luis Sadovnic, 28; Edgar Gonzalez, 42; Alexia Maria Pettengill Lopez Moreira, 9; Anna Sophia Pettengill Lopez Moreira, 6.
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.
Watch: The Task Of Matching Belongings To Owners In Surfside
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.
PIX: Victims Of Those Recovered, Unaccounted For In Surfside Condo Collapse
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.
