Miami: Champlain Towers building demolished by explosion | Before the arrival of storm Elsa

Ten days after the collapse, was demolished with a controlled explosion the rest of the Surfside building, near Miami, before Tropical Storm Elsa hit the Florida coast.

Demolition It took place this Sunday at 10:30 p.m. local time because the authorities they feared the rest of the building would collapse, jeopardizing the rescue operation.

The search for the victims was suspended on Saturday prepare for demolition, with a provisional toll of 24 dead and 121 missing.

“The demolition itself is limited to the immediate area around the building,” Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava warned Sunday at a press conference.

The mayor warned that “as a precaution” they suggested to “neighborhood residents to stay indoors” to avoid dust and “other particles which are a by-product” that are generated with the demolitions. .

Levine noted that “demolishing the building in a controlled manner” was “fundamental to expand “the search operation, because the teams had not been able to deepen it further due to the risk of landslides.

To this was added the Tropical Storm Elsa looms in Florida, scheduled for Tuesday. State Governor Ron DeSantis said on Saturday that the demolition “we were going to have to do it anyway” because “a storm is coming”. “It’s safe,” he said.

Biden’s visit

President Joe Biden visited the scene last Thursday and met with relatives of the victims, who improvised a memorial on a wire mesh covered with photos of the dead and missing and decorated with flowers and candles.

Argentinian victim

This weekend, Argentina’s first victim of the collapse was identified: photographer Graciela Cattarossi, 48, who lived in the building with her daughter Stella, also who died in the drama. The parents and one of the photographer’s sisters make up the list of eight Argentines who, for the moment, are still missing.

The causes of the collapse

Again there is no clear answer as to the cause of the collapse, although an investigation is underway in this regard. “We don’t have strong evidence as to what happened,” Biden said Thursday, noting that there were “a number of questions.”

Among them, the American president spoke about the maintenance and structure of the building, the nearby construction sites and the rising waters.

A 2018 report released by city officials revealed fears of “major structural damage” to the complex, from the concrete slab under the pool terrace to the columns and beams in the parking lot.