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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) declared a state of emergency after a portion of a 12-story residential building in Surfside, Florida, collapsed at approximately 1:30 a.m. Thursday, according to AP.

The latest: The executive order will allow for federal assistance as the state continues its search-and-rescue operations. Officials have accounted for 102 people who lived in the high-rise Champlain Towers South, but 99 people remained unaccounted for by mid-afternoon, said Mayor Daniella Levine Cava of Miami-Dade County at a press conference.

Earlier Thursday, President Biden said that federal resources, including assistance from FEMA, were "ready to go" to respond to the collapse, CNN reports.

Paraguay’s foreign minister said Thursday that members of President Mario Abdo Benítez’s family were among those missing, NBC reports.

Rescuers have pulled at least 35 people from the rubble. At least one person has died from the collapse.

Authorities have not yet established what caused the collapse.

What they're saying: "I want to give you a top number, very encouraging, 102 people have been accounted for. That's double what we were able to report last time," Levine Cava said Thursday. "One hundred and two people from the towers, their locations are known and they are safe."

Cava noted that about half of the 136 units in the 12-story tower collapsed.

At a news conference Thursday morning, DeSantis said officials were “bracing for some bad news just given the destruction that we’re seeing,” AP reports.

"It is really, really traumatic to see the collapse of a mass like that," DeSantis said.

“The building is literally pancaked,” Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett said, per AP. “That is heartbreaking because it doesn’t mean, to me, that we are going to be as successful as we wanted to be in finding people alive.”

Hundreds of people are at the family reunification center that has been set up in Surfside a few blocks from the building collapse, per a Miami Herald reporter.

Of note: Emergency officials are also asking people to call 305-614-1819 if they have relatives who are unaccounted for.

A family reunification is open for anyone looking for unaccounted or missing relatives at the Surfside Recreational Center located at 9301 Collins Avenue, Surfside, Florida.  

This story is developing. Please check back for updates

DeSantis declares state of emergency after deadly Miami-area condo collapse

At least one person is dead and 99 others remain unaccounted for.

Florida

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Search and rescue personnel with a K9 unit work in the rubble of a 12-story residential tower that partially collapsed on June 24, 2021 in Surfside, Florida.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="declared a state of emergency" data-vars-click-url="https://www.flgov.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Executive-Order-21-148.pdf" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.flgov.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Executive-Order-21-148.pdf" target="_blank">declared a state of emergency</a> after a portion of a 12-story residential building in Surfside, Florida, collapsed at approximately 1:30 a.m. Thursday, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="according to AP" data-vars-click-url="https://apnews.com/article/miami-building-collapses-25ee9ff94dd07d2a0ae3da742a6cb8dd?utm_campaign=SocialFlow&amp;utm_source=Twitter&amp;utm_medium=AP" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://apnews.com/article/miami-building-collapses-25ee9ff94dd07d2a0ae3da742a6cb8dd?utm_campaign=SocialFlow&amp;utm_source=Twitter&amp;utm_medium=AP" target="_blank">according to AP</a>.The latest: The <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="executive order" data-vars-click-url="https://twitter.com/fguzmanon7/status/1408191289787621380?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctw[…]state-of-emergency-in-miami-dade-county-after-condo-collapse%2F" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://twitter.com/fguzmanon7/status/1408191289787621380?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctw[…]state-of-emergency-in-miami-dade-county-after-condo-collapse%2F" target="_blank">executive order</a> will allow for federal assistance as the state continues its search-and-rescue operations. Officials have accounted for 102 people who lived in the high-rise Champlain Towers South, but 99 people remained unaccounted for by mid-afternoon, said Mayor Daniella Levine Cava of Miami-Dade County at a press conference.

Politics

The family of 23-year-old Brian Laundrie, who has been declared a "person of interest" in the disappearance of his fiancé Gabrielle Petito, told the police on Friday that they haven't seen Laundrie since Tuesday, per a police report.

Driving the news: The update comes after detectives went to Laundrie's home in North Port, Fla., where he and Petito lived with Laundrie's parents.

"They are now claiming they have not seen their son since Tuesday," Josh Taylor, a spokesman for the North Port police, said on CNN, per the New York Times. "It is another twist in the story, for sure."

What they're saying: "We understand the community's frustration, we are frustrated too. For six days, the North Port Police Department and the FBI have been pleading with the family to contact investigators regarding Brian's fiancé Gabby Petito," the North Port Police Department wrote in a statement. 

"All of Gabby's family want the world to know that Brian is not missing, he is hiding. Gabby is missing," Richard B. Stafford, an attorney for the Petito family wrote in a statement on Friday.

The big picture: Petito is a 22-year-old who was documenting her road trip through Western national parks using the #vanlife hashtag on social media.

Petito’s parents haven't heard from her since Aug. 30 and have urged Laundrie to cooperate with law enforcement.

North Port police said they are conducting a missing-person investigation and not a criminal investigation, per the statement.

Go deeper: Search for missing influencer Gabby Petito continues

Authorities are searching for Gabby Petito’s boyfriend

"Brian is not missing, he is hiding. Gabby is missing."

The sun sets behind the Grand Teton peak, shrouded in smoke from regional wildfires July 14, 2021 at Grand Teton National Park. 

The sun sets behind the Grand Teton peak, shrouded in smoke from regional wildfires July 14. Photo: Natalie Behring/Getty Images

The family of 23-year-old Brian Laundrie, who has been declared a &quot;person of interest&quot; in the disappearance of his fiancé Gabrielle Petito, told the police on Friday that they haven&#x27;t seen Laundrie since Tuesday, per a police <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="report" data-vars-click-url="https://twitter.com/NorthPortPolice/status/1439067990545272833/photo/1" data-vars-content-id="4de7e525-746f-4942-8792-139ebab45ed9" data-vars-headline="Authorities are searching for Gabby Petito’s boyfriend" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://twitter.com/NorthPortPolice/status/1439067990545272833/photo/1" target="_blank">report</a>.Driving the news: The update comes after detectives went to Laundrie&#x27;s home in North Port, Fla., where he and Petito lived with Laundrie&#x27;s parents.

Erin Doherty

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Authorities are searching for Gabby Petito’s boyfriend

DeSantis declares state of emergency after deadly Miami-area condo collapse