Ryan Nicol
Rescue crews have now recovered 64 bodies from the site of the Champlain Towers South collapse in Surfside, just over two weeks since that tower unexpectedly came crashing down.
The news comes one day after officials spoke to family members of the missing, informing them that no survivors are likely to be pulled from the rubble. According to Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, 76 people are still missing as of early Thursday.
Emergency workers have now shifted from a rescue to a recovery mission, seeking to find bodies and personal belongings of those killed by the collapse.
Late Wednesday, Miami-Dade County State Attorney Katherine Fernández Rundle said a grand jury would investigate and issue a report regarding building safety in the area.
“As a community, we remain shaken and horrified by the immense loss of life and the sheer destruction caused by the collapse of the Champlain Towers South Condominium building,” she said in a statement.
“I look forward to the Grand Jury Report’s insights, recommendations and proposed solutions. I hope as a result of their work, the people of Miami-Dade will be able to rest better and sleep soundly knowing they are safe in their homes.”
The building came down in the early hours of June 24. Overnight, workers paused to mark two weeks of searching for those trapped inside the building.
“I don’t think the state’s ever going to quite be the same,” Gov. Ron DeSantis said this week regarding the effect of the collapse.
“You never want to go through the tragedies. But those folks there, they are leaving a very impressive legacy. And for those who are missing, for those who have been identified as being deceased, the impact that they’ve had — not just on Florida but through folks all across the country, in the world — has really been profound.”
