Joe Biden planning to visit site of Condo building collapse in Florida this week

The White House confirmed on June 29 that US President Joe Biden will visit the scene of a catastrophic apartment building collapse in southern Florida later this week, as rescuers explored the debris in an increasingly desperate search for survivors. Reportedly, the official death toll from a 12-story oceanfront condominium that collapsed in the early hours of Thursday last week in Surfside, a community near Miami, is expected to grow as hope for 150 people still missing fades.

According to the White House, Biden will visit the scene on Thursday with First Lady Jill Biden to verify that state and local officials have all they need for the rescue mission.

Joe Biden Hoping To Visit US Building Collapse Site

Jen Psaki, press secretary for the White House said that they want to thank the brave first responders, search-and-rescue teams, and everyone who has been working around the clock. She also stated that the first couple wishes to meet with the families who have been forced to endure this horrible tragedy, waiting in misery and despair for word of their loved ones, to offer them comfort as search and rescue efforts continue.

Residents in the unaffected area of Champlain Towers South reported being awoken at 1:30 am Thursday by what sounded like thunderclaps shaking their rooms. Rescuers who arrived minutes after the tower collapsed assisted in the evacuation of scores of residents and rescued one teenage kid from the wreckage alive. Friends and family members who have gotten no further news of loved ones believed to be trapped beneath the flaming debris have expressed their outrage to authorities in the days since the tragedy.

US building collapse

Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava stated Tuesday that the death toll had not risen from 11 overnight, highlighting the glacial pace of development in the "painstaking, grueling" hunt for survivors, said reports. Engineers and search-and-rescue specialists from Israel and Mexico have joined an army of American employees on the spot, backed up by cranes and sniffer dogs. Biden stated on Sunday that his administration will work with local officials and that it was "prepared to provide whatever support or assistance that is required."

Picture Credit: AP