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“It happened around 2 am. We woke up with a sound wave hitting the windows and we went out to see what was going on,” says Juan Esteban Triana, a young Brazilian raised in Colombia who lives near the building that collapsed on Thursday in Surfside, north of Miami Beach.
Dozens of people who lived in the 12-story tower are still missing and their families are desperate to find them.
“We had the impression of an earthquake and two minutes later we saw ambulances and rescuers pass by. The area was blocked. With my family, the first thing we did was go out into the street and we saw people on balconies asking for help and turn on the flashlights on their phones, ”he told BBC Mundo from where the tragedy occurred.
“They were screaming desperately. We tried to help them but they wouldn’t let us through. It was very frustrating because we were in front of people asking for help and we couldn’t do anything. It’s very sad. “
“The only thing we could do was offer the house for food or for the police to use the toilet. We saw drones and helicopters. It’s very loud, I feel very frustrated to see people calling for help and not being able to do anything but watch.
A helplessness shared by the rest of the neighbors who took to the streets this Thursday to contemplate the horror of the drama in front of their homes.
People walking in the area, including some tourists, recorded with their mobile phones the shocking image of a destroyed tower facing the sea.
A woman carrying a suitcase I cried and cried as I fell to the ground on my knees. They quickly took her to a community center located a few blocks from the scene of the tragedy where they were reuniting families.
One after another, ambulances, fire engines and rescue teams passed, arriving to support the work of those who had been working on the scene since the early hours of the morning.
One of the rescuers who took part in the operation told BBC Mundo that the priority of his work was to search for survivors among the rubble.
The building collapsed around 2 a.m. for causes that are being investigated.
It was raining a lot, as is usually the case at this time of year in Miami. On the beach there were people watching in amazement the state the building was left in and TV crews broadcasting live for channels around the world.
From the sand, the view was heartbreaking. And although police cordoned off the area closest to the building at 8777 Collins Avenue, the collapse could be seen from anywhere.
From some of the balconies hung remains of furniture and debris about to fall from the building. It was like being in front of a scene of destruction after an earthquake.
Luz Marina holds a photo of her aunt, Marina Azen, which she could not find.
The cause of the collapse of this tower, which is part of the Champlain Tours residential complex, built 40 years ago, is still unknown.
There are also no answers for those who still cannot find the whereabouts of their loved ones, many of whom are Latin Americans who were on vacation or lived in the apartment building.
Dozens of people rescued were transported to hospitals in the region, some of them in serious condition. This is why some of the relatives of the disappeared hope that theirs will be found in one of the health centers.
Or that they are alive and have managed to be saved from the rubble.
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