Picture Credit: Fox Business

This morning, a twelve-story building, called Champlain Towers South, in Miami, Florida, partially collapsed, so far causing one death. The whereabouts of fifty-one living in the building are unknown as of yet. 

On the side of the building that did not collapse lives 59-year old Raysa Rodriguez. Rodriguez claimed she believed there was an earthquake and immediately evacuated the building to find the building collapsed.

The mayor of Miami-Dade County, Danielle Levina Cava, said on Thursday, “We’re going to do everything we can possibly do to identify and rescue those who have been trapped in the rubble.” Around one-half of all units in the building were destroyed and 35 people have been rescued.

The cause of the collapse remains unknown. Charles W. Burkett, the mayor of Surfside, said that the building’s foundation may have been unstable. If this is the case, searchers still do not know why only half of the building fell and the other remained intact. 15 families have moved to hotels nearby, as the rest of the building is at risk of falling.

At the Surfside Community Center on Thursday morning, many went to look for updates on the safety of their loved ones who may have lived in Champlain Towers South. Among these people, Sergio Barth was waiting for news of his brother, Luis Barth.“We don’t know anything about him or his family. Just keep your fingers crossed,” Mr. Barth said. 

Officials are still awaiting updates on unaccounted for residents of the building and on the rescues of the people whose units collapsed. Many Americans are praying for the people in Champlain Towers South.