Miami building collapse: death toll rises to 5 as fire hinders rescue efforts
- Officials said they have not located any signs of life in the mountain of debris as 156 people remain missing and five people have died
- A newly released 2018 report showed that an engineer found evidence of major structural damage beneath the pool deck
Rescue crews found another body in the rubble of a collapsed 12-story condominium tower near the US city of Miami on Saturday, raising the death toll to five as they raced to recover any survivors while fighting back fire and smoke deep inside the concrete and metal remains.
Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava announced the heightened toll at an evening news briefing, saying the identification of three bodies had dropped the number of unaccounted for down to 156. She said crews also discovered other unspecified human remains.
Officials said the remains they find are being sent to the medical examiner, and they are also gathering DNA samples from family members to help identify them.
Separately, a video posted online showed an official briefing families of missing loved ones. When he said they had found remains among the rubble, people began sobbing.
Throughout the day, rescue workers scoured the mountain of debris with trained dogs and sonar, searching for any survivors. “Our top priority continues to be search and rescue and saving any lives that we can,” she said.