‘Heartbreaking’: Death Toll in Florida Condo Collapse Now 79

‘Heartbreaking’: Death Toll in Florida Condo Collapse Now 79
Search-and-rescue efforts resume the day after the managed demolition of the remaining part of Champlain Towers South complex in Surfside, Fla., on July 5, 2021. Marco Bello/Reuters
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SURFSIDE, Fla.—The death toll in the collapse of a Miami-area condo building rose to 79 on Friday, a number the mayor called “heartbreaking” as recovery workers toiled for a 16th day to find victims in the rubble. Another 61 people remain unaccounted for.

Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said the work to recover victims was “moving forward with great urgency” in order to bring closure to the families of victims who have spent an agonizing two weeks waiting for news.