The number of confirmed deaths in the Champlain Towers South condominium collapse in Surfside, Fla., rose to 95 on Tuesday after another body was recovered from the rubble, officials said.


What You Need To Know

  • The number of confirmed deaths in the Champlain Towers South condominium collapse rose to 95 on Tuesday after another body was recovered from the rubble, officials said

  • Eighty-five of the victims have been identified, and 14 people remain potentially unaccounted for, Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said

  • Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett said town and county officials are working to arrange access to the site so they can begin their investigation into what caused the deadly collapse

Eighty-five of the victims have been identified, Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said. Fourteen people remain potentially unaccounted for, a list that likely includes the unidentified dead. 

Cava reiterated that, on the 20th day of search efforts, the bodies have become more difficult to recognize and that the medical examiner’s office is being relied upon to conduct “a scientific, methodical process to identify human remains.”

Search crews battled rain on and off Monday, forcing pauses. Similar weather is expected Tuesday, Cava said. Employees of the Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department are on the scene to pump water out of the lower levels of the collapse site, the mayor added.

A liaison with the National Weather Service also has been on-site to provide real-time updates to search teams. 

Meanwhile, the rubble pile has been reduced dramatically since the June 24 collapse. Eighteen million pounds of concrete and debris have been hauled away on 892 trucks, Cava said.

Cava applauded all the agencies that have been involved in the efforts at the site. 

“Twenty days after this unthinkable tragedy, I could not be prouder of the extraordinary efforts of our partners at every level — our local, our state, our federal partners,” she said. “They've stepped up in so many ways to respond, and they have been the core for the families’ recovery.”

Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett added that American Airlines and the United Way are working together to fly family members to and from Surfside for free, as well as flying the victims’ bodies back to their hometowns for burial, if requested.

Burkett also said Surfside and county officials are working to arrange access to the site so they can begin their investigation into what caused the deadly collapse.

“Knowing why the collapse occurred has huge implications for all of our aging structures in Surfside and beyond,” he said.

In the meantime, Burkett said, local officials are analyzing the plans and performing forensic studies on samples and data taken from Champlain Towers North, the sister building of the collapsed condominiums. The buildings were both constructed in 1981 and used the same materials and similar designs.

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