Miami building collapse  'Woman dies and 8 in hospital' as apartment block collapses
Channel: The OverSeaNews
Date: 2021-06-24

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Miami building collapse  'Woman dies and 8 in hospital' as apartment block collapses
A woman has reportedly died and at least eight people have been rushed to hospital after an apartment block partially collapsed close to Miami beach.
Shocking pictures and video show debris at a corner of Collins Avenue and 88th Street, with a desperate search underway for survivors.
Witnesses claim to have heard people screaming beneath the rubble during frantic efforts to free them.
Officials have yet to confirm how many people were injured when the building, believed to be a 12-storey apartment block named Champlain Towers South, collapsed.
But ABC News reports that at least one person has died and eight have been taken to hospital.
One of those injured is in a critical condition, the network said.
A shocked resident told ABC News: “The building shook and then I looked out the window and you couldn’t see, I thought it was like a storm or something coming in.
"When the dust cleared, the back two-thirds of the building was gone, it was down to the ground.”
One witness reported seeing people being rescued from balconies as hundreds of firefighters responded to the incident.
A man staying in a nearby hotel said the collapse sounded like a "tornado" or an "earthquake", Fox News reports.
"It was the craziest thing I ever heard in my life," he said.
Journalist Joel Franco posted from the scene: "MDFR (Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Department) now rescuing people from the balcony."
He had earlier written: "Building collapse in Surfside. 88th and Collins. dozens of units responding."
Mr Franco said a search and rescue truck had been sent to the scene.
The building, which was built in 1981, comprises of 136 apartments. It is not clear how many were affected by this morning's collapse.
People in the still-standing parts of the building were evacuated by rescue teams, witnesses said.
The MDFR posted on Twitter: "MDFR is on scene of a partial building collapse near 88 Street & Collins Avenue. Over 80 MDFR units including TRT are on scene with assistance from municipal fire departments.
"Updates will be provided on Twitter as they become available."
It is not yet known what caused the building to collapse, or how many people were inside at the time.
Onlookers reported seeing firefighters on cranes removing people from their apartments following the collapse.
Miami Beach Police said in a brief statement on Twitter that its officers were assisting the fire department.
The force wrote: "MBPD and @MiamiBeachFire are assisting the Town of Surfside at a partial building collapse located at 8777 Collins Avenue in Surfside, Florida.
" Multiple police and fire agencies from across Miami-Dade are assisting."