The collapse of the Champlain Towers South Condo, a 12-story beachfront condominium building in the Miami suburb of Surfside (Florida, United States), occurred around 1:25 a.m. m. local time EDT (UTC -4) on June 24, 2021. Of the 136 units in the building, 55 on the northeast side were involved in the collapse.
One person was found dead immediately afterwards and eleven more were injured as a result of the collapse.[1][2] Approximately 35 people were rescued from the non-collapsed part of the building, two other people were rescued from the rubble.[3] As of July 27, 2021, 98 dead and 11 injured were reported.[4].
Background
The residential building was built in 1981. According to Surfside Commissioner Eliana Salzhauer, the building was undergoing the inspection process for its 40-year recertification at the time of the disaster, which typically takes one year to complete.[5].
Collapse and victims
The Champlain Towers South Condo building suffered a gradual partial collapse around 1:30 a.m. m. on June 24, 2021.[8] Surveillance footage captured of the collapse indicates that a large section of the building collapsed first, leaving the northeast corner standing but unstable. Several seconds later, the northeast corner also collapsed.
At least 31 people from South America who resided or were believed to be in the building at the time of the collapse were among those missing. Paraguay's Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that the first lady's sister Silvana López Moreira, her sister's husband, the nanny and their three children were missing. A first cousin of Chilean Air Force General Alberto Bachelet is believed to be missing, according to his daughter. The other missing people were identified as nine citizens of Argentina, six from Venezuela, six from Colombia and three from Uruguay.
Israel's consul general in Miami said he believed 20 Israeli citizens were among the missing. Global Affairs Canada announced that four Canadians "may be affected" by the tragedy, without providing further details.
As of July 9, 61 deceased had been identified (in order of age):[9][10][11].
• - Luis Vicente Pettengill López Moreira III, 3 years old, of Paraguayan nationality, was visiting the building.
Structural subsidence report
Introduction
The collapse of the Champlain Towers South Condo, a 12-story beachfront condominium building in the Miami suburb of Surfside (Florida, United States), occurred around 1:25 a.m. m. local time EDT (UTC -4) on June 24, 2021. Of the 136 units in the building, 55 on the northeast side were involved in the collapse.
One person was found dead immediately afterwards and eleven more were injured as a result of the collapse.[1][2] Approximately 35 people were rescued from the non-collapsed part of the building, two other people were rescued from the rubble.[3] As of July 27, 2021, 98 dead and 11 injured were reported.[4].
Background
The residential building was built in 1981. According to Surfside Commissioner Eliana Salzhauer, the building was undergoing the inspection process for its 40-year recertification at the time of the disaster, which typically takes one year to complete.[5].
Collapse and victims
The Champlain Towers South Condo building suffered a gradual partial collapse around 1:30 a.m. m. on June 24, 2021.[8] Surveillance footage captured of the collapse indicates that a large section of the building collapsed first, leaving the northeast corner standing but unstable. Several seconds later, the northeast corner also collapsed.
At least 31 people from South America who resided or were believed to be in the building at the time of the collapse were among those missing. Paraguay's Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that the first lady's sister Silvana López Moreira, her sister's husband, the nanny and their three children were missing. A first cousin of Chilean Air Force General Alberto Bachelet is believed to be missing, according to his daughter. The other missing people were identified as nine citizens of Argentina, six from Venezuela, six from Colombia and three from Uruguay.
Israel's consul general in Miami said he believed 20 Israeli citizens were among the missing. Global Affairs Canada announced that four Canadians "may be affected" by the tragedy, without providing further details.
• - Emma Guara, 4 years old, lived in unit 802.
• - Unknown, 5 years old, identity not revealed at the request of his family.
• - Stella Cattarossi, 7 years old, lived in unit 501.
• - Lucía Guara, 10 years old, lived in unit 802.
• - Andreas Giannitsopoulos, 21 years old, was visiting the building.
• - Deborah Berezdivin, 21 years old of Puerto Rican nationality.
• - Ilan Naibryf, 21 years old of Argentine nationality.
• - Leidy Vanessa Luna Villalba, 23 years old of Paraguayan nationality.
• - Luis Andrés Bermúdez, 26 years old, of Puerto Rican nationality, lived in unit 702.
• - Nicole Langesfeld, 26 years old.
• - Benny Weisz, 31 years old.
• - Juan Alberto Mora Jr, 32, was visiting the building.
• - Bhavna Patel, 36 years old.
• - Luis Pettengill, 36 years old, of Paraguayan nationality, was visiting the building.
• - Ruslan Manashirov, 36, of Azeri nationality, lived in unit 703.
• - Sophia López Moreira, 36 years old, of Paraguayan nationality, was visiting the building.
• - Ana Ortiz, 46 years old, of Puerto Rican nationality, lived in unit 702.
• - Anaely Rodriguez, 42 years old.
• - Vishai Patel, 42 years old.
• - Unknown, 44 years old, identity not revealed at the request of his family.
• - Graciela Cattarossi, 48 years old, of Argentine nationality, lived in unit 501.
• - Michael David Altman, 50 years old, of Costa Rican nationality, lived in unit 1101.
• - Jay Kleiman, 52, of Puerto Rican nationality, was visiting the building.
• - Harold Rosenberg, 52, lived in unit 212.
• - Marcus Joseph Guara, 52 years old, lived in unit 802.
• - Stacie Dawn Fang, 54, lived in unit 1002.
• - Manuel LaFont, 54 years old, lived in unit 804.
• - Frank Kleiman, 55 years old, of Puerto Rican nationality, lived in unit 702.
• - Miguel Pazos, 55 years old.
• - Andrea Cattarossi, 56 years old, of Argentine nationality, was visiting the building.
• - Bonnie Epstein, 56, lived in unit 901.
• - David Epstein, 58, lived in unit 901.
• - Gary Cohen, 58, was visiting the building.
• - María Teresa Rovirosa, 58 years old, of Cuban nationality.
• - Ángela Velásquez, 60 years old.
• - Richard Rovirosa, 60 years old.
• - Oresme Gil Guerra, 60 years old.
• - Elena Blasser, 64 years old.
• - Ingrid Ainsworth, 66 years old, Australian national.
• - Francis Fernández, 67 years old, of Cuban nationality, was visiting the building.
• - Tzvi Ainsworth, 68 years old, Australian national.
• - Maricoy Obias-Bonnefoy, 69, of Filipino nationality, lived in unit 1001.
• - Ana Mora, 70 years old.
• - Elaine Lia Sabino, 71 years old.
• - Gloria Machado, 71 years old.
• - Christina Beatriz Elvira, 74 years old, of Venezuelan nationality, lived in unit 704.
• - Marina Restrepo Azen, 76 years old.
• - Nancy Kress Levin, 76 years old, of Cuban-Puerto Rican nationality.
• - Gladys Lozano, 79 years old, of Cuban nationality, lived in unit 903.
• - Juan Alberto Mora, 80 years old, of Cuban nationality.
• - Leon Oliwkowicz, 80 years old, of Venezuelan nationality, lived in unit 704.
• - Magaly Elena Delgado, 80 years old, of Cuban nationality.
• - Simón Segal, 80 years old, of Cuban nationality, lived in unit 1203.
• - Gonzalo Torre, 81 years old.
• - Antonio Lozano, 83 years old, of Cuban nationality, lived in unit 903.
• - Claudio Bonnefoy, 85 years old, of Chilean nationality, lived in unit 1001.
• - Graciela Cattarossi, 86 years old, of Uruguayan nationality, lived in unit 501.
• - Elena Chávez, 87 years old.
• - Gino Cattarossi, 89 years old, of Argentine nationality, lived in unit 501.
• - Hilda Noriega, 92 years old, of Cuban nationality, lived in unit 902.
Answers
More than 80 rescue units responded to the collapse, according to the Miami-Dade Fire and Rescue Department. Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett said at a news conference that ten people were treated at the scene of the collapse and that two people were taken to the hospital, one of whom later died.
At least 35 people have been rescued from the building,[14] and more than one hundred people were missing.[15] Due to a storm, rescue and recovery operations were temporarily halted. A fire also made rescue and debris cleaning work difficult. The amount of debris from the collapsed building, and the probability of the annex building collapsing, make rescue work difficult and slow down.[16].
Possible causes
According to Mayor Burkett, the condo was in the process of having its roof repaired.[17] Surfside Commissioner Eliana Salzhauer stated that the building was undergoing the inspection process for its 40-year recertification at the time of the disaster, which typically takes a year to complete.[5]
According to research from Florida International University analyzing data from publicly available European remote sensing satellites, the building had been sinking since the 1990s at a significant rate of about 2 millimeters (0.08 in) per year.
In 2018, an inspection by engineering firm Morabito Consultants found a "major error" in the construction of the pool deck, resulting in the waterproofing not being sloped and water pooling on the waterproofing until it could evaporate. Over the years, the concrete slabs beneath the pool deck had been severely damaged by collected water. The firm wrote that "if the waterproofing is not replaced in the near future, the extent of concrete deterioration will expand exponentially," and that repair would be "extremely expensive." The roof slabs of the parking garage, which was located below the roof deck, showed several sizable hairline cracks and exposed rebar boxes. It was not clear from public records whether the condo association had addressed the issues raised in the report.[18].
Demolition of remaining blocks
Officials announced that the still-standing western portion of Champlain Towers South would be demolished in a controlled manner between 10 p.m. m. EDT on Sunday evening, July 4, and 3:00 a.m. m. EDT on Monday morning, the 5th, after accelerating planning and placing explosives in the building's foundation. to complete the demolition before the arrival of Hurricane Elsa. The search for survivors of the initial collapse resumed almost immediately after the demolition was completed.
The demolition took place at approximately 10:30 p.m. m. local time (EDT) on July 4, 2021.[19].
As of July 9, 61 deceased had been identified (in order of age):[9][10][11].
• - Luis Vicente Pettengill López Moreira III, 3 years old, of Paraguayan nationality, was visiting the building.
• - Emma Guara, 4 years old, lived in unit 802.
• - Unknown, 5 years old, identity not revealed at the request of his family.
• - Stella Cattarossi, 7 years old, lived in unit 501.
• - Lucía Guara, 10 years old, lived in unit 802.
• - Andreas Giannitsopoulos, 21 years old, was visiting the building.
• - Deborah Berezdivin, 21 years old of Puerto Rican nationality.
• - Ilan Naibryf, 21 years old of Argentine nationality.
• - Leidy Vanessa Luna Villalba, 23 years old of Paraguayan nationality.
• - Luis Andrés Bermúdez, 26 years old, of Puerto Rican nationality, lived in unit 702.
• - Nicole Langesfeld, 26 years old.
• - Benny Weisz, 31 years old.
• - Juan Alberto Mora Jr, 32, was visiting the building.
• - Bhavna Patel, 36 years old.
• - Luis Pettengill, 36 years old, of Paraguayan nationality, was visiting the building.
• - Ruslan Manashirov, 36, of Azeri nationality, lived in unit 703.
• - Sophia López Moreira, 36 years old, of Paraguayan nationality, was visiting the building.
• - Ana Ortiz, 46 years old, of Puerto Rican nationality, lived in unit 702.
• - Anaely Rodriguez, 42 years old.
• - Vishai Patel, 42 years old.
• - Unknown, 44 years old, identity not revealed at the request of his family.
• - Graciela Cattarossi, 48 years old, of Argentine nationality, lived in unit 501.
• - Michael David Altman, 50 years old, of Costa Rican nationality, lived in unit 1101.
• - Jay Kleiman, 52, of Puerto Rican nationality, was visiting the building.
• - Harold Rosenberg, 52, lived in unit 212.
• - Marcus Joseph Guara, 52 years old, lived in unit 802.
• - Stacie Dawn Fang, 54, lived in unit 1002.
• - Manuel LaFont, 54 years old, lived in unit 804.
• - Frank Kleiman, 55 years old, of Puerto Rican nationality, lived in unit 702.
• - Miguel Pazos, 55 years old.
• - Andrea Cattarossi, 56 years old, of Argentine nationality, was visiting the building.
• - Bonnie Epstein, 56, lived in unit 901.
• - David Epstein, 58, lived in unit 901.
• - Gary Cohen, 58, was visiting the building.
• - María Teresa Rovirosa, 58 years old, of Cuban nationality.
• - Ángela Velásquez, 60 years old.
• - Richard Rovirosa, 60 years old.
• - Oresme Gil Guerra, 60 years old.
• - Elena Blasser, 64 years old.
• - Ingrid Ainsworth, 66 years old, Australian national.
• - Francis Fernández, 67 years old, of Cuban nationality, was visiting the building.
• - Tzvi Ainsworth, 68 years old, Australian national.
• - Maricoy Obias-Bonnefoy, 69, of Filipino nationality, lived in unit 1001.
• - Ana Mora, 70 years old.
• - Elaine Lia Sabino, 71 years old.
• - Gloria Machado, 71 years old.
• - Christina Beatriz Elvira, 74 years old, of Venezuelan nationality, lived in unit 704.
• - Marina Restrepo Azen, 76 years old.
• - Nancy Kress Levin, 76 years old, of Cuban-Puerto Rican nationality.
• - Gladys Lozano, 79 years old, of Cuban nationality, lived in unit 903.
• - Juan Alberto Mora, 80 years old, of Cuban nationality.
• - Leon Oliwkowicz, 80 years old, of Venezuelan nationality, lived in unit 704.
• - Magaly Elena Delgado, 80 years old, of Cuban nationality.
• - Simón Segal, 80 years old, of Cuban nationality, lived in unit 1203.
• - Gonzalo Torre, 81 years old.
• - Antonio Lozano, 83 years old, of Cuban nationality, lived in unit 903.
• - Claudio Bonnefoy, 85 years old, of Chilean nationality, lived in unit 1001.
• - Graciela Cattarossi, 86 years old, of Uruguayan nationality, lived in unit 501.
• - Elena Chávez, 87 years old.
• - Gino Cattarossi, 89 years old, of Argentine nationality, lived in unit 501.
• - Hilda Noriega, 92 years old, of Cuban nationality, lived in unit 902.
Answers
More than 80 rescue units responded to the collapse, according to the Miami-Dade Fire and Rescue Department. Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett said at a news conference that ten people were treated at the scene of the collapse and that two people were taken to the hospital, one of whom later died.
At least 35 people have been rescued from the building,[14] and more than one hundred people were missing.[15] Due to a storm, rescue and recovery operations were temporarily halted. A fire also made rescue and debris cleaning work difficult. The amount of debris from the collapsed building, and the probability of the annex building collapsing, make rescue work difficult and slow down.[16].
Possible causes
According to Mayor Burkett, the condo was in the process of having its roof repaired.[17] Surfside Commissioner Eliana Salzhauer stated that the building was undergoing the inspection process for its 40-year recertification at the time of the disaster, which typically takes a year to complete.[5]
According to research from Florida International University analyzing data from publicly available European remote sensing satellites, the building had been sinking since the 1990s at a significant rate of about 2 millimeters (0.08 in) per year.
In 2018, an inspection by engineering firm Morabito Consultants found a "major error" in the construction of the pool deck, resulting in the waterproofing not being sloped and water pooling on the waterproofing until it could evaporate. Over the years, the concrete slabs beneath the pool deck had been severely damaged by collected water. The firm wrote that "if the waterproofing is not replaced in the near future, the extent of concrete deterioration will expand exponentially," and that repair would be "extremely expensive." The roof slabs of the parking garage, which was located below the roof deck, showed several sizable hairline cracks and exposed rebar boxes. It was not clear from public records whether the condo association had addressed the issues raised in the report.[18].
Demolition of remaining blocks
Officials announced that the still-standing western portion of Champlain Towers South would be demolished in a controlled manner between 10 p.m. m. EDT on Sunday evening, July 4, and 3:00 a.m. m. EDT on Monday morning, the 5th, after accelerating planning and placing explosives in the building's foundation. to complete the demolition before the arrival of Hurricane Elsa. The search for survivors of the initial collapse resumed almost immediately after the demolition was completed.
The demolition took place at approximately 10:30 p.m. m. local time (EDT) on July 4, 2021.[19].