The search for victims of a partially collapsed building in Surfside, Florida, ended just a month ago, after firefighters closed work at the site of the disaster that killed at least 97 people.
“It’s hard to believe it’s been a month since what may be the greatest tragedy in the history of our community,” Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniela Levine Cava said on Twitter Saturday (24).
“While the site of the collapse was limited to only one block in a united city, it resonated far beyond our province, affecting the lives of people all over the world,” he added in a video posted on the social network.
Search and rescue teams at the site of the collapse of the South Champlain Towers on Friday ended their activities, local authorities said. They had been working on the site since the early morning of June 24, when the 12-story oceanfront tower in Surfside north of Miami Beach collapsed.
No survivors were found under the rubble, and on July 7, firefighters announced that they would focus on searching for human remains.
After removing tons of rubble, the site where the building is located is now a vacant lot, with only four walls of the building remaining standing.
Levin Cava said this week that 97 victims have been identified so far, but authorities believe there is one missing person to be identified. Miami-Dade police are conducting a search for the remains of the latest victim as they preserve what has been removed from the collapse site.
A month after its occurrence, the causes of the collapse are still unknown. The first elements of the investigation indicate that the structure of the building appeared to be worn out in some sectors.
