[Dismas]

A condominium collapsed yesterday, with 150+ people missing. Many of which are likely dead. Hopefully whoever is responsible, is held accountable.

At about 1:30 a.m. Thursday morning, residents of the South Florida town of Surfside awoke to a terrible sound: an entire wing of a condo building — and the lives of those within in it — crashing down.

Champlain Towers South was built in 1981 on oceanfront property near Miami. It's not at all clear what caused the building to suddenly "pancake," its 12 floors collapsing onto one another.

"That's not an old building," Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett said Thursday. "That kind of thing should not be happening."

Rescue teams search for any survivors within the sudden mountain of rubble. Family and friends wait with hope and fear for news at a reunification center nearby.

At least four people died in the disaster; 159 people remain unaccounted for. Gov. Ron DeSantis has declared a state of emergency in Miami-Dade County and President Biden has approved federal aid from FEMA.

Read More: https://www.npr.org/sections/pictureshow...-survivors

[mothered]

It's not at all clear what caused the building to suddenly "pancake"

I'd say the building wasn't built to specifications/safety standards.

Although It's doubtful, fingers crossed those missing are alive and well.

[Dismas]

It's not at all clear what caused the building to suddenly "pancake"

I'd say the building wasn't built to specifications/safety standards.

Although It's doubtful, fingers crossed those missing are alive and well.

Unless they're saying someone other than the builders are responsible for the collapse, I would assume so.

[mothered]

Unless they're saying someone other than the builders are responsible for the collapse

Yes, sabotage Is certainly not out of the question.

[Dismas]

Unless they're saying someone other than the builders are responsible for the collapse

Yes, sabotage Is certainly not out of the question.

I'd be doubtful, but if someone decided to knock a few walls down or compromise the structure, 150+ people is more than any mass shooting claimed. It is still strange that the cause of collapse has not been revealed.

[mothered]

but if someone decided to knock a few walls down or compromise the structure, 150+ people is more than any mass shooting claimed.

Good point.

There are many sick Individuals who will go to any length to cause Injury/loss of life.

It is still strange that the cause of collapse has not been revealed.

Perhaps their Investigations are Inconclusive at this stage.

[Boudica]

Unless they're saying someone other than the builders are responsible for the collapse

Yes, sabotage Is certainly not out of the question.

I'd be doubtful, but if someone decided to knock a few walls down or compromise the structure, 150+ people is more than any mass shooting claimed. It is still strange that the cause of collapse has not been revealed.

This I find really odd. A building doesn't just suddenly collapse for no real reason. Surely they can see if it was a sinkhole/poor structure/or an intentional attack on the structure? Perhaps they're waiting for confirmation of their suspicions before they say anything publicly.

I did read on this article that a previous review found the building was sinking very slightly over time, as it was built on a previous wetlands area. I suspect they're just going to find that there was a sinkhole or earth shift that caused it.

Code:

A study from researchers at Florida International University published last year found that the building had been sinking at a rate of two millimetres per year in the 1990s, which may have affected the building structurally.

But the author has cautioned that the study was just a snapshot in time. The building was constructed on reclaimed wetland, which experts say is always of concern as the land underneath can compact over time, leading to shifts.

On the sinking, the author of the study, Prof Shimon Wdowinski, told the Miami Herald newspaper: "We've seen much higher than that, but it stood out because most of the area was stable and showed no subsidence."

Prof Wdowinski said the research is not meant to suggest certainty about the latest incident.

[Accident Man]

Here is a gif of the condominium - before and after its collapse;
https://i.imgur.com/6ConWSv.mp4

[Dismas]

Apparently an engineer found structural damage years before it actually collapsed:
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/rescuer...021-06-26/

[Accident Man]

Apparently an engineer found structural damage years before it actually collapsed:
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/rescuer...021-06-26/

There are three more identical to the recently collapsed condominium just a couple of hundred yards away. Scary.