- The remaining units of the
Florida condo building that partially collapsed have been demolished. - Search efforts were paused and demolition efforts were sped up ahead of Tropical Storm Elsa.
- So far, 24 bodies have been recovered and more than 120 people are still unaccounted for.
The remaining units of the Champlain Towers South condo building in Surfside, Florida, were demolished Sunday night.
As recently as Friday, Mayor Daniella Levine Cava of Miami-Dade County said the demolition of the remaining units of the partially collapsed structure would most likely take weeks. Cava said officials would seek a balance between searching for more victims in the rubble and demolishing the remaining structure. But on Saturday afternoon, search efforts were paused as the remaining building was prepared for demolition ahead of Tropical Storm Elsa.
Cava told CNN that search-and-rescue teams would continue their efforts after the area was deemed safe.
"As soon as the building is down and once the site is deemed secure, we will have our first responders back on the pile to immediately resume their work," Cava told CNN on Sunday night. The demolition can be seen at the 1:09.18 mark in this video:
So far 24 bodies have been recovered and more than 120 people are still unaccounted for.
Cava told CNN the demolition process "uses small, strategically placed explosives and relies on gravity to bring the building down in place." The demolition was restricted to the immediate area, but as a safety measure those living nearby were asked to stay indoors.
Authorities previously said the demolition was necessary so debris wouldn't fall during the coming storm and harm survivors or rescuers.
Mayor Charles Burkett of Surfside said he was worried the storm could take the building down in the wrong direction, thereby creating a bigger problem, The Washington Post reported.