Florida Death Toll Climbs To Nine As Rescuers Race To Find Survivors

Surfside, United States (AFP) - The death toll after the collapse of a Florida apartment tower rose to nine, officials said Sunday, with more than 150 people still missing and their weary families waiting nearly four days for information as to their fate.

The outlook grew increasingly grim by the hour, however, as the slow rescue operation, involving workers sorting nonstop through the rubble in torrid heat and high humidity, carried on.

Four new bodies and other human remains were found after rescuers dug an enormous trench – 125 feet long, 20 feet wide, and 40 feet deep (38 by 6 by 12 meters) – through the mountain of debris, according to the Miami-Dade County mayor.

As of now, the number of confirmed fatalities remains at nine, Mayor Daniella Levine Cava told reporters in Surfside, near Miami Beach. She had said earlier that one victim had died in hospital.

We have identified an additional four of the victims for a total of eight identified, she said during a Sunday evening press conference. We're working to notify those next of kin first.

Six to eight squads, backed by two huge cranes and aided by sniffer dogs, are on the pile actually searching at any given time, she added.