Search and rescue efforts at the collapsed Surfside condo in Florida have been converted to a recovery operation.
“Our team has developed a very detailed plan to guide the transition and to ensure that the operations proceed at the same speed and intensity,” Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said at a news conference Wednesday.
The transition will become official at midnight, the mayor said. The death toll now stands at 54, with 86 people still unaccounted for, CNN reports.
Miami-Dade County fire officials said several factors were considered before reaching the decision. Those factors include the collapse itself, medical reasons, and the fact that there has been no sign of survivors.
Miami-Dade Assistant Fire Chief Ray Jadallah told families at a private briefing Wednesday that the rescue crews would continue to search through the debris for the bodies of their family members.
“Our sole responsibility at this point is to bring closure,” he said, according to NBC Miami.
Champlain Towers South partially collapsed on June 24 during the early morning hours. The rest of the building was brought down on Sunday, ahead of tropical storm Elsa.
Officials had hoped that with access to new sections of debris, more survivors would be located. However, it aided rescue workers in finding more deceased victims.
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