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Fear, Shock Captured By Surfside First Responders' Body Cameras

MIAMI (CBSMiami) - Newly released body-worn camera footage shows the moments police arrived to the site of the Surfside building collapse.

The fear and shock are clear in the voices of first responders.

"Captain the Champlain Towers, the building collapsed," says one officer on the phone.

Officers were trying to see what exactly collapsed through the thick of darkness.

"I'm arrival here I can barely see anything," says one officer to dispatch. "The roof and the drive-through collapsed still looking for injuries."

The officer found someone who needed help near the garage.

"Is anyone down here injured," he asks.

"Yes, an old lady. please," a woman responds.

The chaos continuing just feet away from the building along Collins Ave.

"Half of the back is gone," says one officer.

WATCH: Police Body Cam Video Shows Moments Police Arrived At Surfside Condo Collapse (*Watch at your own discretion due to some explicit language.)

 

"The whole *expletive" back is gone, you need to figure out the collapse zoon and back up because*expletive* is going to hit the fan. The whole side, that building is an l, the whole *expletive* thing came down," says another man.

One man on the ground is seen trying to comfort his mother who was up on a balcony of the still-standing portion of the building and yelling up to her.

"Mom," he shouts. "You're fine calm down. Calm down!"

The building's security guard in disbelief while giving her an account of what happened to the police.

"I don't even know how I made it out, I don't even know how I made it out," says the guard.

Police and fire rescue crews were also trying to get folks away from the area.

"Get moving - we don't know if this is going to fall," says an officer.

The middle-of-the-night catastrophe on June 24 claimed 98 lives and became the largest non-hurricane related emergency response in state history.

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