Heartbreaking images capture the Surfside building collapse and rescue efforts

David Baratz, USA TODAY
·1 min read
Search and rescue personnel work in the rubble of a 12-story residential tower that partially collapsed on June 24, 2021 in Surfside, Fla. It is unknown at this time how many people were injured as search-and-rescue effort continues with rescue crews from across Miami-Dade and Broward counties.
Search and rescue personnel work in the rubble of a 12-story residential tower that partially collapsed on June 24, 2021 in Surfside, Fla. It is unknown at this time how many people were injured as search-and-rescue effort continues with rescue crews from across Miami-Dade and Broward counties.

Images capture the extensive destruction Thursday from the partially-collapsed 12-story condominium in Surfside, Florida.

Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett confirmed that at least one person had died.

"The building is literally pancaked,” Burkett said. “That is heartbreaking because it doesn’t mean to me that we are going to be as successful as we wanted to be in finding people alive.”

Piles of rubble and debris surrounded the area just outside the building, and cars up to two blocks away were coated with with a light layer of dust from the debris.

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue teams scrambled to find residents who may have been trapped under the rubble of the condominium. The American Red Cross set up a reunification site for family and friends near the site of the partial building collapse.

'I have no hope': Loved ones await news, survivors flee after condo building partially collapses near Miami

Burkett warned that the death toll was likely to rise, saying the building manager told him the tower was full at the time of the collapse around 1:30 a.m., but the exact number of people present was unclear.

About half of the building's roughly 130 units were affected, Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said at a news conference.

Rescuers pulled at least 35 people from the wreckage by mid-morning, and heavy equipment was being brought in to help stabilize the structure to give them more access, Raide Jadallah of Miami-Dade Fire and Rescue said.

A man reacts as he waits for information after the partial building collapse in Surfside.
A man reacts as he waits for information after the partial building collapse in Surfside.
Debris dangles from Champlain Towers South Condo after the multistory building partially collapsed Thursday, June 24, 2021, in Surfside, Fla.
Debris dangles from Champlain Towers South Condo after the multistory building partially collapsed Thursday, June 24, 2021, in Surfside, Fla.
Search and rescue personnel work in the rubble of the 12-story condo tower that crumbled to the ground.
Search and rescue personnel work in the rubble of the 12-story condo tower that crumbled to the ground.
Fire rescue personnel conduct a search and rescue with dogs through the rubble of the Champlain Towers South Condo.
Fire rescue personnel conduct a search and rescue with dogs through the rubble of the Champlain Towers South Condo.
Onlookers look at the damage at the 12-story oceanfront Champlain Towers South Condo.
Onlookers look at the damage at the 12-story oceanfront Champlain Towers South Condo.
Jennifer Carr, right, sits with her daughter as they wait for news at a family reunification center.
Jennifer Carr, right, sits with her daughter as they wait for news at a family reunification center.
Household items and debris dangle from destroyed units of the beachfront condo.
Household items and debris dangle from destroyed units of the beachfront condo.
Cousins Andrea and Nellie Gonzalez wait for news at a family reunification center, after a wing of a 12-story beachfront condo building collapsed, Thursday, June 24, 2021, in the Surfside area of Miami. They are vacationing from Wisconsin and had to be evacuated from a nearby building.
Cousins Andrea and Nellie Gonzalez wait for news at a family reunification center, after a wing of a 12-story beachfront condo building collapsed, Thursday, June 24, 2021, in the Surfside area of Miami. They are vacationing from Wisconsin and had to be evacuated from a nearby building.
The American Red Cross set up a reunification site for family and friends near the site of the partial building collapse. About 70 people crammed into a room with chairs and blue gym mats on the floor.
The American Red Cross set up a reunification site for family and friends near the site of the partial building collapse. About 70 people crammed into a room with chairs and blue gym mats on the floor.
Fire Rescue workers rescue a resident at the partially collapsed condominium in Surfside.
Fire Rescue workers rescue a resident at the partially collapsed condominium in Surfside.

Contributing: The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Miami building collapse photos show search and rescue efforts