SURFSIDE: The partially collapsed Miami-area condo where 24 people are confirmed dead was demolished on Sunday night, ahead of the possible arrival of Tropical Storm Elsa.
Search-and-rescue efforts for 121 people missing have been suspended. Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava told reporters earlier on Sunday that rescue efforts would resume after the demolition, noting it was 11 days since the collapse.
Video footage showed the 12-story building collapsing downward and throwing up plumes of smoke.
As of Sunday afternoon, Tropical Storm Elsa was off the coast of Cuba with winds of 60 miles per hour (95 kph). After moving across Cuba later on Sunday and Monday, the storm was forecast to approach western Florida on Tuesday or Wednesday.
In the wreckage of the Champlain Towers South complex in Surfside, workers drilled into columns where small explosive charges were placed to bring the remains of the building down in a small area, officials said.
Residents in nearby buildings did not need to evacuate but were instructed to stay indoors and turn off air conditioning due to dust.
Instead of the usual fireworks and flag-waving parties, beachside communities in the area planned more subdued events for the Fourth of July. Miami Beach canceled its Independence Day celebrations.
Investigators have not determined what caused the 40-year-old complex to collapse on June 24. A 2018 engineering report found structural deficiencies that are now the focus of inquiries that include a grand jury examination.
All residents of another building, Crestview Towers in North Miami Beach, were told on Friday to leave immediately after engineers found serious concrete and electrical problems, officials said.
The move was considered urgent because of the approach of Elsa, North Miami Beach City Manager Arthur Sorey said, adding that the building’s owners had not yet begun a mandatory safety recertification process required 40 years after it was built.
“It’s definitely not an easy decision,” Sorey said. “It’s just the right thing to do during these times. It’s uncertain what’s going to happen with the storm.”
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Collapsed Florida condo demolished ahead of storm, search to resume
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Collapsed Florida condo demolished ahead of storm, search to resume
- Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava told reporters that rescue efforts would resume after the demolition
- After moving across Cuba on Monday, Tropical Storm Elsa is forecast to approach western Florida on Tuesday or Wednesday
Long-delayed decision due on Chinese mega-embassy in London
LONDON: The UK government is Tuesday due to rule on plans for a sprawling Chinese mega-embassy in central London, amid security concerns and ahead of Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s expected visit to China.
Beijing’s proposal for a new embassy on the historic site of the former Royal Mint — a stone’s throw from the Tower of London — has been dogged by delays since China bought it in 2018.
If the relocation from its current site in London’s upmarket Marylebone area is approved, it would be the largest embassy complex in the UK by area, and one of the largest embassies in the heart of a Western capital.
But the move has faced fierce opposition from residents, rights groups and critics of China’s ruling Communist Party who fear the site could be used to surveil and harass dissidents.
The embassy proposal has proved to be particularly sensitive domestically, and appears to be a sticking point in bilateral ties as well.
The UK’s plans to redevelop its own embassy in China are also reportedly being held up.
Starmer is expected to visit China later this month, according to British media — although the trip has not yet been confirmed by Downing Street — as he tries to reset ties with the economic powerhouse.
If it goes ahead, it would be the first visit by a UK prime minister since 2018, after ties between London and Beijing fell to new lows under the previous Conservative government.
But the embassy plans, domestic furor over a collapsed case against two British men accused of spying for China, and the conviction of media mogul and British citizen Jimmy Lai in Hong Kong on two national security charges could make for an eventful first visit for Starmer.
While UK media reported that the development is likely to receive the green light this week, a refusal would not go down well in China.
When the decision was postponed once again in December, China’s foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian said Beijing was “deeply concerned” and “strongly dissatisfied.”
Meanwhile, Starmer last month acknowledged that while China provided significant economic opportunities for the UK, it also posed “real national security threats.”
- ‘Spy embassy’ -
Last week, The Daily Telegraph reported the new embassy site would house 208 underground rooms, including a “hidden chamber,” according to unredacted plans obtained by the daily newspaper.
The vast site would also run alongside sensitive underground Internet cables, with the unredacted plans showing that Beijing would demolish and rebuild a wall between the cables and the embassy.
The high-speed Internet cables connect to the City of London financial district, with the Telegraph raising concerns that they could be tapped underground.
Hundreds rallied against the impending decision outside the proposed site on the weekend.
“We cannot allow the Chinese to build this spy embassy in an area so crucial to our national security,” said opposition Conservative party leader Kemi Badenoch.
A protester in London who gave his name only as Brandon, for fear of reprisals, told AFP on Saturday that the plans raised a “lot of concerns.”
“I don’t think it’s good for anyone except the Chinese government,” said the 23-year-old bank employee who moved to the United Kingdom from Hong Kong.
Clara, a protester also originally from Hong Kong, said she was “really afraid of transnational repression that China can impose on us.”
“UK government, why are you still endorsing it?“
Local residents could meanwhile also launch a legal challenge against approval further delaying the project.
Beijing’s proposal for a new embassy on the historic site of the former Royal Mint — a stone’s throw from the Tower of London — has been dogged by delays since China bought it in 2018.
If the relocation from its current site in London’s upmarket Marylebone area is approved, it would be the largest embassy complex in the UK by area, and one of the largest embassies in the heart of a Western capital.
But the move has faced fierce opposition from residents, rights groups and critics of China’s ruling Communist Party who fear the site could be used to surveil and harass dissidents.
The embassy proposal has proved to be particularly sensitive domestically, and appears to be a sticking point in bilateral ties as well.
The UK’s plans to redevelop its own embassy in China are also reportedly being held up.
Starmer is expected to visit China later this month, according to British media — although the trip has not yet been confirmed by Downing Street — as he tries to reset ties with the economic powerhouse.
If it goes ahead, it would be the first visit by a UK prime minister since 2018, after ties between London and Beijing fell to new lows under the previous Conservative government.
But the embassy plans, domestic furor over a collapsed case against two British men accused of spying for China, and the conviction of media mogul and British citizen Jimmy Lai in Hong Kong on two national security charges could make for an eventful first visit for Starmer.
While UK media reported that the development is likely to receive the green light this week, a refusal would not go down well in China.
When the decision was postponed once again in December, China’s foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian said Beijing was “deeply concerned” and “strongly dissatisfied.”
Meanwhile, Starmer last month acknowledged that while China provided significant economic opportunities for the UK, it also posed “real national security threats.”
- ‘Spy embassy’ -
Last week, The Daily Telegraph reported the new embassy site would house 208 underground rooms, including a “hidden chamber,” according to unredacted plans obtained by the daily newspaper.
The vast site would also run alongside sensitive underground Internet cables, with the unredacted plans showing that Beijing would demolish and rebuild a wall between the cables and the embassy.
The high-speed Internet cables connect to the City of London financial district, with the Telegraph raising concerns that they could be tapped underground.
Hundreds rallied against the impending decision outside the proposed site on the weekend.
“We cannot allow the Chinese to build this spy embassy in an area so crucial to our national security,” said opposition Conservative party leader Kemi Badenoch.
A protester in London who gave his name only as Brandon, for fear of reprisals, told AFP on Saturday that the plans raised a “lot of concerns.”
“I don’t think it’s good for anyone except the Chinese government,” said the 23-year-old bank employee who moved to the United Kingdom from Hong Kong.
Clara, a protester also originally from Hong Kong, said she was “really afraid of transnational repression that China can impose on us.”
“UK government, why are you still endorsing it?“
Local residents could meanwhile also launch a legal challenge against approval further delaying the project.
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