Miami Condo Building Partially Collapses, 1 Dead, 10 Injured

A 12-story oceanside condo building in the Miami area has partially collapsed, leaving one person dead and at least 10 injured early Thursday morning, according to authorities.

Miami-Dade Rescue confirmed the Surfside, Florida, building collapse on Twitter, saying that more than 80 technical and rescue teams were on the scene working together in a search and rescue mission.

As many as 10 people have been taken to the hospital so far with injuries, news reports have indicated.

Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett confirmed to CNN that at least one person was dead.

He added that search efforts in the collapsed area of the building were continuing but suggested that they may not be successful in recovering many people.

He told the news outlet, “The problem is the building has literally pancaked.”

Search efforts may be further complicated by a line of showers and storms that are headed toward the coastal Miami Metro area. The storm could cause localized flooding and brief wind gusts throughout the morning hours.

It is unclear how many people were in the building at the time of the collapse or how many were able to escape.

The Miami Herald reported that the condos are part of the Champlain Towers South that was built in 1981. The condo had more than 100 apartments.

Sgt. Marian Cruz of Miami Dade Fire Rescue said the building is 12 floors. He added that “The entire backside of the building has collapsed,” USA Today reported.

It is unclear what caused the building to collapse. Burkett told CNN that roof work had been ongoing over the past month at the building but said he was unsure that was a factor. He told the news outlet, it would be “hard to imagine that could have been the impetus for a catastrophic collapse.”

Burkett also maintained that the condos were not in an old building, saying, “There's no reason for this building to go down like that."

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