Miami Condo Rescuer Says Tapping Sounds Under Rubble Have 'Dissipated'

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A rescue worker searching for the 159 unaccounted individuals in the Miami condo collapse provided a grim update on Friday (June 25).

Dr. Howard Lieberman, a trauma surgeon with the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Urban Search & Rescue Task Force, told CNN that crews "did hear some tapping, there was some noise," which went on throughout the day before it "dissipated."

Lieberman said the search effort has been very emotional as crews continue to find personal belongings in the rubble.

"We're seeing stuffed animals, teddy bears, boxed of diapers, a child's bunk bed, and we're finding a lot of pictures, family pictures, and it's, it's a little bit more emotional than going somewhere, where you know there's no one, let's say for a hurricane where they had enough warning and they had evacuation time and they got out." Lieberman told CNN.

Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava confirmed four people have died and a total of 159 individuals are unaccounted for in relation to the partial collapse of the Champlain Towers South Condo, a 12-story Surfside condominium, in the Surfside town of Miami-Dade County.

"We will continue search and rescue because we still have hope that we will find people alive," Mayor Levine Cava said.

The bodies of three more victims were located at the site, bringing the death toll to four, after it was initially reported that one person was confirmed to have died in the collapse on Thursday (June 24).

Mayor Levine Cava also confirmed a total of 120 individuals have been accounted for in relation to the collapse.

Officials told NBC Miami that residents were being moved to the Surfside Community Center and all streets in the area of the collapse were closed.

The Champlain Towers South Condos are located at 8777 Collins Avenue and were built in 1981.


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