The collapse of the Miami building may cause a large number of casualties, and the Paraguayan President’s wife and sister lost contact.

At 1: 30 am local time on the 24th, a 12-story residential building in Miami-Dade County, Florida, USA partially collapsed. Xinhua news agency

At 1: 30 am local time on June 24th (at 13: 30 pm Beijing time on the 24th), a 12-story residential building in Miami-Dade County, Florida, USA partially collapsed, which has caused at least three deaths and at least 99 people are missing. Search and rescue personnel found 102 people and confirmed their safety. With the development of rescue work, it is expected that the number of casualties and missing persons may increase significantly.

37 people have been rescued.

According to many American media reports, such as The New York Times, Associated Press and Miami Herald, Champlain Towers South was located in a seaside town about 6 miles north of Miami Beach, and the south half of the whole building suddenly collapsed at about 1: 30 am. From the nearby video footage, it seems that the center of the building collapsed first, and then the part near the sea was crumbling. After a few seconds, a huge dust cloud swallowed up the whole building.

More than 80 fire rescue workers were on the scene to carry out rescue. People’s visual map

At least 99 people are still missing. More than 80 fire rescue workers were on the scene to carry out rescue. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Assistant Captain Raide Jadallah said that so far, rescuers have rescued 35 people trapped in the building and two others trapped in the rubble. Workers are still carefully cleaning up the rubble, hoping to find more survivors.

Frank Rollason, the local emergency management director, said that the people who had been rescued included a child whose parents were probably dead. Rescuers also rescued a mother and her child. In order to save her from the ruins, the woman’s leg had to be cut off.

According to CCTV news, Daniella Levine Cava, the county magistrate of Miami-Dade County, updated the search and rescue situation at a news conference in the late afternoon of 24th. She pointed out that after the building collapsed, the search and rescue personnel had found 102 people and confirmed their safety, and at least 99 people were still missing.

At present, the collapse has caused at least three deaths and at least 99 people are missing. Xinhua news agency

The family of Paraguay’s president’s wife and sister disappeared.

An official in Dade County said that it was difficult to determine how many people were in the building at the time of the incident, and there was no fixed property management company in the building to record the residents’ situation. The apartment consists of permanent residents, seasonal residents, renters and short-term tourists, so the authorities mainly rely on neighbors’ statements to estimate the number of people.

However, Florida Senator marco rubio said that "a considerable number" of the residents in the building are foreigners.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Paraguay, six Paraguayan nationals are in the building and their whereabouts are unknown. The six people are Sofia Lopez-morera, the sister of the wife of the President of the country, her husband Luis Pettengill, their three children and their nanny luna Villalba. The President of Paraguay, Mario Abdo Benítez, cancelled some activities scheduled for the 24th because of this incident.

The Argentine Consulate in Miami also stated that nine Argentine citizens were missing. The Venezuelan Embassy in the United States confirmed that four Venezuelan citizens were missing. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uruguay said that three Uruguayan citizens may be missing, but their identities are unknown. The Colombian Foreign Ministry reported that six Colombian citizens lived in the building, and officials were still trying to determine whether they were present at the time of the incident.

According to public records, the building was built in 1981, and now it has reached the re-certification requirement for 40 years. People’s visual map

Long-term settlement of collapsed building

On the afternoon of 24th local time, Miami-Dade police chief Alfredo Alfredo Ramirez said at a press conference that the cause of the building collapse is still unclear. According to public records, the building was built in 1981, and now it has reached the re-certification requirement for 40 years. A representative of the local community said that the building is about to undergo a large-scale maintenance work, mainly to repair rusty steel bars and damaged concrete. At present, construction has begun on the top of the building.

Fox News reported that a construction expert was quoted as saying that the possible cause of the accident does not rule out the factors of construction. "Wall paint or other materials may be removed during construction to check the corrosion degree of steel beams. The salt in the air along the coast of Miami may accelerate the corrosion of steel. "However, he added that although salt will have a serious impact on coastal buildings, he is not sure how long it will take for this process to make the corrosion level reach the point where buildings collapse.

According to a report by USA-Today on 24th, according to a study conducted by Shimon Wdowinski, a professor in the Department of Earth and Environment of Florida International University in 2020, the collapsed building showed signs of settlement in 1990s. According to his research, from 1993 to 1999, the annual settlement of the building was about 2 mm. Dovinsky pointed out that according to his experience, the settlement observed in the 1990s usually has an impact on buildings and their structures. Dovinsky said that settlement alone may not lead to the collapse of the building, but it may be a contributing factor.

On June 24, 2021, local time, in Florida, the family and friends of the residents of the collapsed residential building were waiting for news.

After the incident, US President Biden said that he had talked with the county magistrate of Miami-Dade County and Congressman Debbie Matherman Schultz representing the district. Biden said that he was waiting for the governor’s declaration of a state of emergency and was ready to immediately call federal resources for rescue. At present, the residential collapse in Miami-Dade County has aroused widespread concern in the United States.