A resident was rescued and said, “I thought that any moment, we could be that exact pile of rubble.”

CNN.

Barry Cohen realized he had to leave his apartment after a portion of his residential building fell. He looked down into the hallway and said that “there wasn’t anything there.”

He said that it was “just a pile of dust, rubble, and paint falling from ceilings.”

He says that he was unable to find a way out so he went up to his balcony. By then, the police and fire trucks had arrived.

He said that it took 20 minutes for him to realize that he and his wife were trapped in the apartment on the balcony.

“The building still shook as we waited for the firetruck. It seemed very unstable. It was just that I knew what the outside looked like, so I thought we could all be that same pile.

Cohen, who lived there for three years, stated that he prayed as he waited to be saved.

“I believed the entire building was about to collapse. “So once we got into the cherry picker, I felt a sense of relief that it was amazing that I had survived this tragedy,” he said.

Surfside, Florida: At least 11 streets were closed around the scene of collapse.

Miami-Dade Police have asked residents to “expect traffic delays in the vicinity and seek alternative routes” in light of the Surfside building collapse.

Police stated in a tweet that “Collins Avenue between 85th and 96th Street was temporarily closed due to #SurfsideBuildingCollapse.”

According to Miami-Dade Transit, travelers should expect delays on routes to the area.

Florida Division of Emergency Management TweetedThursday morning, that the “state is standing ready to provide assistance, if needed.”

Mayor claims that a similar collapse is less likely than a lightning strike.

Charles Burkett, the Mayor of Surfside, stated that although the cause of the collapse is not known yet, it is less likely than a lightning strike.

Burkett stated to CNN affiliate WSVN that there was no reason for the building to fall like this.

He stated that the building was constructed in the 1980s.

Although it was not clear how many people are missing at the moment, the mayor estimated that at least 30 units could have been affected.

Burkett stated to the affiliate that the dogs were deployed at night but they did not receive any hits in dangerous and dark conditions.

Surfside mayor warns that the remaining partially collapsed building may also fall.

Surfside Mayor, Florida, expressed concern Thursday about the possibility that another part of the building may also collapse.

“We fear the building may collapse further,” Mayor Charles Burkett stated to CNN affiliate WSVN.

The problem is that the building has literally collapsed. It is now just feet between stories that were once ten. It is sad because it does not mean that we will be successful.

Burkett thanked firefighters and first responders for their continued efforts, despite the possibility that the building might collapse.

Burkett stated, “Those guys… those guys deserve all our respect and credit and any other we can give to them because they’re real heroes.”

Eyewitness describes how he discovered a boy alive under the rubble

Nicholas Balboa was walking with his dog in Surfside, Florida when he felt the ground shake. It felt almost like an earthquake.

He thought it would be impossible for anyone to survive this chaotic scene until he heard someone cry out for help.

“I thought to myself, “How could anyone survive this?” Balboa stated that he heard someone yelling as he was thinking about that. He added that he saw the boy “sticking a hand through the debris”

He said, “And I could see his hands and fingers wiggling,”

Balboa stated that he and another person climbed the rubble to assist, and then found firefighters and police to help.

They began to try to rescue him. He and his mother were the ones who got him out. We could hear him. We could clearly see him. We couldn’t see his mom and we couldn’t hear her so I don’t have any idea about her health. But, God willing, I’m sure she’s fine.”

Balboa stated that the boy was lying under his mattress and bed frame.

He said, “He was clearly sleeping.” He said, “I cannot imagine how many people were living in their apartments, either watching TV or sleeping, and not knowing that the building was about break apart.”

Balboa described the scene of the collapse as “almost out of a horror film.” I don’t know if it wasn’t for us — me and the other gentleman — being at the back of the building, and as quiet it was, I don’t know how long it would take before they found him.

Surfside mayor: This is a catastrophe in that building

Surfside’s mayor said that the building that partially fell overnight was “pancaked” when it fell.

“Apparently the building fell on its face, so they don’t see a lot from the outside,” Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett stated on NBC’s Today Show.

Burkett stated that two people were taken to the hospital. One of them was later declared deceased. Burkett stated that 15 family units currently residing in a community are being relocated to hotels soon.

According to the mayor, the search-and rescue effort started shortly after 2:00 AM. ET continues throughout the morning with dogs.

Burkett stated that the dogs had been scouring the debris, but there haven’t been any hits. This is a huge disappointment.

The mayor was asked whether all units were occupied when he confirmed that the building was “not lowly occupied”.

He said, “I believe there were quite some people in there.”

The mayor acknowledged that roof work was being done, but said it was not related to the collapse.

Burkett stated, “This is a devastating failure of that building.” “It appears like a bomb went off, but we are fairly certain that it didn’t.”

Here is an aerial view of the collapse site

This aerial view shows the aftermath of a partially collapsed residential building in Surfside, Florida.

This footage shows files of rubble and debris.

Mayor of Miami-Dade County tweeted, “My prayers are for those impacted.”

Daniella Levine Cava is the mayor of Miami-Dade County. She tweeted about the partially collapsed building and said she was praying for all those affected.

Here is her complete tweet:

Search-and-rescue efforts could be affected by strong storms that move towards a collapse site.

A line of storms and showers is moving westward towards the coast Miami Metro area. This could affect search-and rescue activity surrounding the Surfside building collapse.

The activity should be moving over the coast in the next 30 mins. Localized flooding and gusty winds may occur.

Showers will continue throughout the morning, but once the sea breeze kicks into, the rain should move furtherinland today.

After the partial collapse of the building, at least one person was killed

Charles W. Burkett, Mayor of Surfside, confirms that at least one person has died from Thursday’s early-morning building collapse.

Burkett stated that the deceased person was taken to the hospital and declared dead.

“This is a terrible catastrophe. Burkett said that buildings in the United States don’t collapse.

Reporters were told by the mayor that at least 10 people had been treated on the spot and that the building was now cleared.

The mayor stated that the roof was being repaired on the building, but that he could not say if that contributed to the collapse.

A neighbor describes how it felt to flee after the collapse.

Kimberly Morales lives across the street from the building that collapsed in Surfside Florida. She was awakened by the sound of building alarms.

CNN reported that she woke everyone in the room when she saw outside the window and saw everyone. “I told everyone to hurry up, and leave the building.

Although she claims that she didn’t hear it fall, when they went outside they discovered that a large portion of the building was gone.

Now, she’s in a community centre with other evacuees.

Morales captured the scene on video:

God is so real! The building right next to our condo was destroyed! (Our building is the blue one). Just knowing that lives were lost disturbed me. It could have been us. God, I thank you for keeping my baby safe and my boyfriend up. It is too short! I wouldn’t have woken pic.twitter.com/gLdnbZMhdF

— 444 (@tatyannaj_ June 24, 2021

A neighbor described the scene of the collapse as “completely gone in the back.”

Michael Ruiz, a Surfside resident, described the scene. He lives close to the partially collapsed building.

Ruiz said that he heard about 50 fire trucks and ambulances driving past his house on Collins Avenue just before 2:00 AM.

Ruiz claims he received a message from a neighbor informing him of the collapse.

“I was there, and I’ve never seen so many police officers and ambulances in one place.” He said that it looked almost like 9/11.

Ruiz claimed that he was able reach the back of the partially-collapsed building. Ruiz claims he took photos and videos, and the whole building fell from the 14th floor.

“So, there is a third of the building that you can’t see from the street. But it’s gone completely in the back towards the beach side.”

This is what the building looked before it fell.

Authorities are responding to a partial building collapse in Surfside, Florida.

The scene captured video shows large piles of rubble around the building and a large number of first responders.

This is what the building looked before it collapsed overnight.

The building is located at Surfside, Florida

Surfside, Florida is where the partially collapsed building was found. Surfside is located approximately 6 miles north from Miami Beach.

Authorities say that a multi-story building collapsed in the vicinity of Miami.

The Miami-Dade Fire Rescue reported that authorities in South Florida responded to an “incomplete building collapse” on Thursday morning.

It also stated that more than 80 rescue units were present at the scene, including Technical Rescue Teams and assistance from municipal fire departments.

Daily Reuters reached out to Miami Beach Fire Rescue, and the Miami Beach Mayor’s Office.