. | . |
Florida condo death toll 32, Storm Elsa complicates search By Eva Marie Uzcategui with Chris Lefkow in Washington Surfside, United States (AFP) July 6, 2021 Rescuers raced Tuesday to search the site of a deadly condo tower collapse in Florida as Tropical Storm Elsa barreled closer, threatening the operation with torrential downpours and strong winds. The death toll from the June 24 disaster in Surfside rose overnight to 32 as search teams found four more bodies in the rubble, Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava told reporters. Twenty-six victims have been identified. Levine Cava said 113 people are still listed as missing and the authorities have been able to confirm that 70 of that number were in the 12-storey building when it came tumbling down. She said Tropical Storm Elsa was making the already "challenging and adverse conditions" faced by the search teams even more difficult. "We're closely monitoring the weather," the mayor said. Elsa, which has maximum winds of 60 miles (100 kilometers) per hour, is expected to near hurricane strength and make landfall on Florida's west coast on Wednesday morning. The authorities warned residents to prepare for dangerous storm surge and possible power outages. Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett said the weather was impacting the search of the debris from the building known as Champlain Towers South. "The wind is hampering the large cranes moving very heavy debris," he said. "That's a challenge they're trying to work around right now." Miami-Dade County fire chief Alan Cominsky said the demolition Sunday night of the still standing portion of the building had allowed search teams to expand their operations. Cominsky said 200 firefighters were "actively searching on the pile" with assistance from teams around the country and the world. Cominsky said 124 tons of debris had been removed so far. - 'Deep concerns' - Burkett, the Surfside mayor, said engineers were conducting a "full structural review" of other tall buildings in the city including Champlain Towers North, a sister condo tower to the one that collapsed. He said the authorities have "deep concerns about that building" and some residents have moved out. Levine Cava said "numerous investigations" were underway looking into the reasons for the collapse. "The whole world wants to know what happened here," she said. "I look forward to learning the truth, as do we all." "It's very early to name any sources but of course everything is under review," she said. Levine Cava expressed her concern for the families that are awaiting for news about their loved ones. "We know that the waiting, and the waiting, and the waiting is unbearable," Levine Cava said. No survivors have been found since the day of the collapse. A 2018 report released by city officials revealed fears of "major structural damage" in the complex, from the concrete slab under the pool deck to columns and beams in the parking garage. In a letter to residents in April, Jean Wodnicki, chair of the condo association, described "accelerating" damage to the 40-year-old building since then, and repairs had been set to begin soon.
Survivor window closing in Japan landslide as death toll reaches seven Tokyo (AFP) July 6, 2021 The desperate search for survivors in a Japanese resort town devastated by a landslide is becoming less hopeful, officials warned Tuesday, three days after the disaster that killed at least seven people. The fate or whereabouts of 27 residents of Atami in central Japan remains unknown, a regional spokesman said, after dozens of homes were swept away on Saturday by violent waves of mud. More than 1,000 soldiers and rescue workers trawled through destroyed homes and waded across vast piles of mud ... read more
|
|
The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us. |