Demolition crews took down the remaining structure of the Champlain Towers South condo complex in Surfside, Florida using controlled explosions, and rescue crews will resume search efforts as soon as the demo crew gives the all-clear, the Associated Press reports.
The demolition became urgent as Hurricane Elsa approaches the East Coast of the United States. While Surfside isn’t directly in the storm’s path, the structure would be weakened by the wind and rain expected to hit the area.
“We are standing by. We are ready to go in, no matter the time of night,” Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava told a news conference Sunday night.
Twenty-four people are confirmed dead from the collapse of the 12-story tower on June 24th, and more than 120 people are unaccounted for. No one has been rescued alive from the rubble since the hours after the building collapsed around 1:30 a.m. local time.