The site of the 12-story residential tower that partially collapsed on June 24 in Surfside Fla. Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images
The bodies of two additional victims have been recovered from the rubble of the Surfside building collapse, bringing the death toll to 18, Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said Wednesday. 145 people remain unaccounted for.
The latest: At an afternoon briefing, Cava said two of the 18 fatalities were children, ages 4 and 10.
- "The loss of our children is too great to bear," Cava said.
- At a morning briefing, Miami-Dade assistant fire chief Raide Jadallah told family members the victims had not yet been identified.
- The search-and-rescue crews recovered other human remains in addition to the four bodies. The discovery came after rescue teams built a ramp for a crane to reach areas they had not had access to before, per AP.
- Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said Tuesday she would ask a grand jury to "look at what steps we can take to safeguard our residents without jeopardizing any scientific, public safety, or potential criminal investigations."
- The Surfside official who said in November 2018 that the Miami-area condo was in satisfactory condition has been placed on leave from his post as interim building official in Doral, Florida, the Wall Street Journal reports.
- President Biden and first lady Jill Biden will visit Surfside on Thursday.
This story is developing. Please check back for updates.