Condo Collapse: The towering pile of concrete and debris from the Surfside condo collapse is now almost an empty pit

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Now footage from the scene shows an empty space where hundreds of people once lived.

Even as time passed and the possibility of locating survivors diminished, ground crews remained devoted to the arduous task of combing through the rubble, stopping only for dangerous weather conditions and when the remains of the building were demolished.

Authorities have promised the families that the search will not end until all loved ones are located.

“At the original collapse site, we’re almost at the bottom,” Miami-Dade Police spokesman Alvaro Zabaleta told CNN. “Does that mean we’re almost done with the search? No. Until we clear the entire site and find more human remains, we won’t be finished.”

There are only a handful of concrete stumps scattered around the footprint of the building.

The scene of the collapse site at Surfside on June 28, 2021.

Clear path for investigators

Once the research is officially completed, an investigation into the causes of the collapse can begin, experts said.

“Until they do their job, we cannot come in to take material samples and take those samples and test them to understand what the different components of the building that collapsed were,” the engineer said. in structure Allyn Kilsheimer to Ana Cabrera of CNN.

Surfside condo building collapse investigation will not begin until site remains a crime scene, expert says

The first night he was at the scene, Kilsheimer, who also investigated the aftermath of the 9/11 attack on the Pentagon, said he had about 20 or 30 theories of possible triggers.

Since then he has eliminated some but added five or six more, he said, but will not be able to reduce it while research continues.

Florida State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle acknowledged “multiple requests from engineers and lawyers” to access the site.

“Engineers from the federal agency National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) were deployed to Surfside with the authority of Congress to gather evidence and determine how and why the South Champlain Tower collapsed. NIST is the investigative agency responsible for investigating building collapses such as the World Trade Center, just as the NTSB investigates plane crashes, “Rundle said in a statement.

“I understand that once NIST, Miami-Dade Fire Department, and Miami-Dade Police Department determine that it is safe and appropriate for others to access the site, they will be permitted to do so in accordance with the guidelines set out by these agencies, ”said Rundle.

Cranes operate on the remains of the collapsed 12-story condo at the Champlain South Towers on July 9, 2021.

The agony of waiting

Many families now have answers to questions about the fate of their loved ones, marking a new chapter in their mourning.

In the days following the collapse, Debbie Hill’s father was considered missing, and not knowing where he was and what had happened to him was “the big deal,” she told Erin Burnett from CNN.

Nicole Ortiz said the agony of waiting to learn of her sister and nephew’s fate was indescribable.

Text from unanswered son, two sisters buried together, a newlywed couple and a 60-year love affair: what we know about the victims of the collapse

“I screamed,” she told CNN’s Ryan Young. “I almost passed out. I cried.”

The community is now mourning their loved ones, as well as Vishal and Bhavna Patel and their 1 year old daughter Aishani. Ilan Naibryf’s family say goodbye to a young man they say made an impact wherever he went. Sergio Lozano faces the loss of his two parents, Antonio and Gladys.

“They died together,” Lozano said. “It’s not fair – to be crushed, to be destroyed. It’s not fair.”

CNN’s Travis Caldwell, Rosa Flores, Rebekah Riess, Leyla Santiago, Claudia Dominguez, and Tina Burnside contributed to this report.

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