Rescue crews on Thursday morning paused their search for survivors at the scene of the Florida condo collapse amid concerns that the unstable remainder of the building could also crumble, Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said.
“We’re doing everything that we can to ensure that the safety of our first responders is paramount, and to continue our search and rescue operation as soon as it is safe to do so,” she said during a morning news conference.
Cava said local and state engineers are monitoring the gutted structure and evaluating plans for the ongoing efforts, adding that officials have informed families about the pause.
President Biden, who landed in Miami about 9:30 a.m. Thursday, plans to visit Surfside later in the day, but it was unclear if he will go to the disaster site.
Regardless, Cava said, “I want to stress that President Biden’s presence today will have no impact on what happens at this site.
“The search-and-rescue operation will continue as soon as it is safe to do so. The only reason for this pause is concerns about the standing structure,” she added.
Earlier Thursday, Florida Fire Marshal Jimmy Patronis told CNN that rescue efforts were not halted because of safety concerns.
“No, operations never stop on site. Whether it’s the survey work, anything we can do to make sure the work is still constantly progresses,” he said.
“The building is structurally compromised, it’s not safe, so we take an extraordinary amount of precautions to make sure the site is safe for those working on it, and those trapped in the rubble. We use lasers to make sure we’re monitoring any type of tremors. We take an abundance of caution to make sure all lives are saved,” he added.
The death toll from the tragedy stood at 18, with 145 people still unaccounted for.