JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — State leaders spoke in Surfside Thursday afternoon after a high-rise building partially collapsed in the middle of the night, killing one and injuring over two dozen.
Governor Ron DeSantis, Chief Financial Officer and State Fire Marshal Jimmy Patronis and Lt. Governor Jeanette Nuñez were in attendance.
"We all woke in in the early morning hours to see these really tragic scenes of a collapsed condominium complex but I just want to give credit to the search and the fire department, the first responders, Miami Dade County," said DeSantis. "They were on that scene before we knew if there would be more collapse."
Leaders said the state emergency response team has been activated and is working on this incident in partnership with several other agencies.
“Florida’s Urban Search and Rescue teams are the best-of-the-best when it comes to search and rescue missions... right now saving lives is our top priority," said Chief Financial Officer & State Fire Marshal Jimmy Patronis.
Right now, a massive search and rescue operation is underway. Miami-Dade police say one person has died in the collapse.
"The TV doesn't do it justice, it is really really traumatic to see the collapse of a massive structure like that," said DeSantis.
WTSP reports Assistant Fire Chief of Operations Ray Jadallah of Miami-Dade Fire Rescue says 55 of the 136 units at the apartment collapsed around 1:30 a.m.
According to Jadallah, at least 35 people have been rescued from the collapse site with two people being pulled from the rubble.
Rescue crews are still working to "tunnel in" and located additional survivors.
Photos and videos from the scene show the collapse impacted half the tower.
WTSP reports the collapse also sent a cloud of debris through the neighborhood, coating cars up to two blocks away with a light layer of dust. Piles of rubble and debris surround the area just outside the building.