Florida Condo Building Collapses

Photo: Getty Images

A massive rescue is underway in Florida to find survivors trapped in a condo collapse.  There are unconfirmed reports 51 people are unaccounted for after a high-rise condo partially collapsed in Surfside near Miami Beach. So far, one person is dead 35 people were rescued, and two were pulled from the rubble in Surfside. 

Miami Dade Fire said today that first responders are involved in a massive a search and rescue operation, but would not confirm how many people are missing. Fire crews are tunneling under the building in a desperate effort to find survivors. The 12-story condo tower was built in 1981 and had more than 100 units. There are concerns the death toll could rise.

Authorities say the building "pancaked," leaving little chance of voids existing where people could survive. The town's mayor calls it heartbreaking, saying the way the building came down leads him to believe they won't be "as successful as we would want to be" when it comes to locating survivors. Despite those fears and the grim conditions on the ground, Florida Senator Marco Rubio tweeted this morning that Miami Dade Fire "has one of the best urban search and rescue teams in the world." They've been on scene since around 2am Eastern time.

Photo: Getty Images


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