Death toll in Florida building collapse rises to 9; 152 still missing

The death toll in the apartment building collapse in Surfside, Florida, has gone up to nine, informed Miami-Dade County, Florida, Mayor Daniella Levine Cava on Sunday.

There are at least 152 people missing after the building collapse. Search and rescue teams are racing to find survivors, reported CNN.

"As of today, one victim passed away in the hospital, and we've recovered eight more victims on-site, so I am confirming today that the death toll is at nine," the mayor said on Sunday.

"We are making every effort to identify those others who have been recovered, and additionally, contacting their family members as soon as we are able," she added.

Meanwhile, the City of Miami Beach has declared a state of emergency in the wake of the incident. US President Joe Biden, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, and Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava have issued emergency declarations as well.

Family members of people who died or are still missing in the collapse in Surfside were taken to the site at Champlain Towers South Sunday, according to Cava's office.

With an additional four victims pulled from the debris, a total of 134 people have been accounted for while 152 remain unaccounted for, she said.

A large oceanfront condo building near Miami Beach partially collapsed on Thursday, prompting a massive search-and-rescue response as many people were reported missing.

A 2020 study conducted by Shimon Wdowinski, a professor in the department of earth and environment at Florida International University, found that the building had been sinking since the 1990s, according to US media.