SURFSIDE, Fla. — The number of confirmed deaths in the Surfside condo collapse has risen to 94 as crews at the South Florida site continue their recovery efforts.
“The number of confirmed deaths is now 94, 83 of these victims have been identified and 80 next-of-kin notified,” Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava told reporters at a press briefing Monday morning.
Officials are set to hold another press briefing at 10 a.m. ET Tuesday. WATCH IT BELOW:
Levine Cava said 22 people are now accounted for and 22 people are potentially unaccounted for.
“The numbers are fluid, and they will continue to change as these efforts continue,” the mayor said.
Levine Cava added that “ongoing inclement weather” is expected in Miami-Dade County over the next few days, so officials believe crews will have to take “brief pauses” to make sure they’re safe at the site.
When asked about a potential end date for the recovery efforts, Levine Cava said, “we can’t put an outside date” on that.
“Something in the window of 14 to 21 days, hopefully on the shorter side of that. We are making great process on the pile,” she said.
The mayor acknowledged that two officials working with recovery crews tested positive for the coronavirus, the chairman of the county commission and his chief of staff. Out of an abundance of caution, she said those who were in close proximity to those two were tested and no other positive tests have been seen yet.
During Monday’s press conference, the mayor also took the opportunity to reiterate her office’s “strong support” of the peaceful protests unfolding across Cuba.
“We stand united with the Cuban people on the island and all across our own community at this historic moment in the struggle for freedom, dignity, and basic human rights,” the mayor said. “We stand with them, and we pray for their courageous actions to begin to bring about real change and move us closer to a vision of a free Cuba.”
At the briefing, Lieutenant Gov. Jeanette Núñez also voiced the support of the governor’s office for the Cuban people. She said Gov. Ron DeSantis is monitoring the protests.
“As you know, Florida is home to the largest amount of Cuban Americans in the country. The governor is actively monitoring the protests on the island. We remain steadfast in our support on the side of freedom and democracy,” said Núñez. “And as the governor stated yesterday, Florida supports the people of Cuba as they take to the streets against a tyrannical regime that has plagued them for so many decades. The next several days will be pivotal for the freedom-seeking people of Cuba and their decades-long quest for freedom.”
