Building collapse death toll in US Florida rises to nine

WASHINGTON (June 28): The death toll from the partial collapse of a 12-storey residential building in the US beachside town of Surfside, southeastern state Florida, has risen to nine, said Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava.

In a media briefing on Sunday evening, the mayor said one citim passed away in hospital on Sunday and the rescue team discovered another eight victims. 

According to a CNN report, rescue crews continue sifting through mountains of rubble to search for the missing residents, Daniella said there are a total of 134 people have been accounted for and 152 remain unaccounted for.  

The oceanfront condominium, built in 1981, has 136 units, and approximately 55 of them collapsed on the northeast corridor, according to Jadallah on June 25.

Before collapse, residents were informed US$9 mil in repairs needed

Meanwhile, in a separate report by CNA, owners of the oceanfront condominium units were informed that the major repair of the building will cost at least US$9 million (RM37 million).

The estimation came from Morabito Consultants engineering firm in October 2018, this means every owner needs to fork out at least US$80,000 (for one-bedroom units) to US$300,000 (for penthouse units) to fix the building.

The report said an itemised bill sent by the condo board in April to owners of the building's 136 units showed that much of the planned work was in the pool area and the facade as well as structural repairs.

Another Morabito report in 2018 was also submitted to the authority, the report said waterproofing under the pool deck had failed and had been improperly laid flat instead of sloped, preventing water from draining off.

“The failed waterproofing is causing major structural damage to the concrete structural slab below these areas. Failure to replace the waterproofing in the near future will cause the extent of the concrete deterioration to expand exponentially,” the report said.

The firm recommended that the damaged slabs be replaced in what would be a major repair.

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