Search for Miami condo collapse survivors officially ends with 54 dead and 86 missing

Miami-Dade fire officials announced Wednesday that operations at the collapsed condo in Surfside will switch from rescue to recovery nearly two weeks after a portion of the building fell (Picture: AP)

The search and rescue effort for victims of the Miami-area building collapse has officially shifted to recovery, meaning that survivors are no longer expected to be pulled from the rubble.

During a private briefing with the victims’ families on Wednesday afternoon, Miami-Dade Assistant Fire Chief Raide Jadallah said that crews would stop using rescue dogs and devices to listen for humans. They will keep searching for remains.

‘Our sole responsibility at this point is to bring closure,’ Jadallah said as relatives cried.

The rescue effort was called off just shy of two weeks after the June 24 partial collapse of Champlain Towers South in Surfside, Florida.

On Wednesday, eight more bodies were recovered, bringing the death toll up to 54, Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said at a press conference. Still, 86 people remain unaccounted for. Of those found dead, 33 have been identified.

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