Family describes harrowing race against time to flee building
Deadly building collapse near Miami
Passersby look at photos of missing people posted to a fence on June 26, 2021, in Surfside, Florida.
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Deadly building collapse near Miami
Eliagne Sanchez and K. Parker lay flowers on the beach near the partially collapsed building.
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Deadly building collapse near Miami
Workers search in the rubble on Saturday, June 26, 2021.
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Smoke rises as rescuers continue to search for survivors on June 26, 2021.
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Deadly building collapse near Miami
People stand near the partially collapsed residential building in Surfside on June 25, 2021.
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Deadly building collapse near Miami
Mourners light candles on the beach near the partially collapsed building in Surfside on June 25, 2021.
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Deadly building collapse near Miami
Members of the South Florida Urban Search and Rescue team work in the rubble.
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Deadly building collapse near Miami
Leo Soto, 25, of Surfside, sets up a memorial site with photos of missing people from the complex. One of the missing people, Nicole Langsfield, is his friend.
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Deadly building collapse near Miami
Firefighters battle a blaze as rescue workers search debris at the 12-story oceanfront condo.
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A group of people pray together on the beach next to the site of the Champlain Towers.
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Deadly building collapse near Miami
People hug as they wait for news about their relatives at a community center in Surfside on June 25.
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Rescue personnel search through the building’s rubble on June 25.
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Toby Fried holds up a picture of her missing brother, Chaim Rosenberg, outside the Surfside Community Center on Friday.
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Rescue workers use a crane to inspect the damage on Friday.
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Deadly building collapse near Miami
Ariana Hevia, center, stands with Sean Wilt near the partially collapsed building on Friday. Hevia’s mother, Cassandra Statton, lives in the building.
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Rescue workers arrive to the scene with dogs on Friday.
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Deadly building collapse near Miami
People observe the building from the nearby beach.
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Deadly building collapse near Miami
Faydah Bushnaq, center, is hugged by Maria Fernanda Martinez as they stand on the beach near the building. Bushnaq, who was vacationing in South Florida, stopped to write “pray for their souls” in the sand.
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Deadly building collapse near Miami
The arm of an earth mover during the search operations.
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Rescue personnel work at the site on June 24.
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Deadly building collapse near Miami
Yube Pettingill talks to the media. Two of her family members were still missing.
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Deadly building collapse near Miami
This photo was tweeted by Miami-Dade Fire Rescue after the building collapsed on June 24.
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Displaced residents are taken to a nearby hotel in Surfside.
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Deadly building collapse near Miami
The partial collapse left huge piles of rubble and materials dangling from what remained of the structure.
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Deadly building collapse near Miami
Firefighters use a ladder hose as smoke comes out of the rubble on June 24.
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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, at center in the red tie, arrives to speak to the media on June 24. “We still have hope to be able to identify additional survivors,” DeSantis told reporters near the scene. “The state of Florida, we’re offering any assistance that we can.”
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Debris dangles from the building on June 24.
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People hug at a family reunification center where evacuees were staying in Surfside.
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Deadly building collapse near Miami
The cause of the collapse wasn’t immediately known. The building was undergoing roof work, but it’s not known whether this was a factor in the collapse, Surfside Mayor Charles W. Burkett said.
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Deadly building collapse near Miami
Jennifer Carr sits with her daughter as they and other evacuees wait for news at the family reunification center in Surfside.
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Rescue personnel search through the rubble with dogs on Thursday.
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Police stand guard near the scene on Thursday.
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People on the beach look at the building after the partial collapse.
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The building was constructed in 1981, according to online Miami-Dade property records.
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People lie on cots at the family reunification center in Surfside.
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The beachfront community is a few miles north of Miami Beach.
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More than 80 rescue units responded to the scene, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue said.
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Rescue personnel work at the site of the partial collapse.
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