This morning during a news conference, Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava shared that the death toll at the Surfside condo collapse site has risen 94.
83 of the 94 fatalities have been identified, and 80 families of the deceased have been notified, according to Levina Cava. With 222 persons accounted for, the mayor believes that 22 people are still “potentially unaccounted for.”
“The process of making identification has become more difficult as time goes on,” the mayor said. “The numbers are fluid and will continue to change.”
On Sunday night, a video showed the crew still digging through the debris. Surfside Mayor Charles Burket shared that personal items, such as rings, were discovered and they are categorizing and returning the items to family members.
Since the collapse on June 24, crews have been working around the clock to find the victims.
Chief Alan Cominsky of the Miami-Dade Fire Department said it was unclear when the recovery operations would be completed because it was difficult to predict when the final body would be discovered.
Officials hoped to complete the recovery phase in three weeks when it began on Wednesday. Based on the present speed of construction, Cominsky said it may take as little as two weeks.
“We were looking at a 14-day to 21-day timeframe,” he said, adding that the timeline remained “a sliding scale.”
