US Apartment Collapse Search Ends After One Month... One Missing Person Still Not Found

On the 24th (local time), rescue teams are searching for survivors by clearing debris at the site of a 12-story apartment collapse in Surfside, Miami-Dade County, Florida, USA. One resident died and more than 10 were injured in the collapse that occurred early that morning. Police stated that it is still unclear whether 99 residents who have not been contacted were inside the building at the time of the accident. (Photo by AP. Yonhap) [Image source: Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Ryu Tae-min] The search operation for the collapse of the 12-story condominium apartment in Surfside, Miami-Dade County, Florida, which occurred on the 24th of last month, has ended after about a month.

Major U.S. media outlets, including the AP News Agency, reported that the Miami-Dade Fire Department held a press conference at the collapse site on the 23rd (local time) to announce the end of the search and rescue operation.

Fire Chief Allen Cummins said, “I salute the rescue workers who stayed on site, working in two shifts every twelve hours, and I am very proud of the firefighters who worked under such shocking circumstances.” The rescue team recovered the remains of the deceased from the building debris weighing approximately 14,000 tons.

The forensic team is continuing to investigate whether there are remains of the deceased in the building debris that was moved from the collapse site to an external warehouse.

The number of confirmed deaths from this accident currently stands at 97. Except for the few hours of search immediately after the building collapse, no survivors have been confirmed. There is at least one missing person whose remains have not been recovered, including Estelle Hedaya (54).

The authorities appealed that they are doing their best to find the missing persons, but it is not an easy task. Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said on the 21st, “Regrettably, in such collapse accidents, it is very difficult to recover all remains.”