Authorities are trying to find survivors after a massive 12-story condo partially collapsed in Surfside, Florida, just north of Miami.
At least one person is dead and dozens were rescued while nearly 100 are still missing.
“This is beyond crazy,” says Surfside Mayor Charles W. Burkett. “This doesn’t happen in first world countries. Buildings just don’t fall down like this.”
Rescue crews dig through the rubble and debris of a collapsed condo building desperately searching for survivors.
“They are doing everything they can to save lives and that is ongoing,” says Gov. Ron DeSantis, “and they are not going to rest.”
About 55 units crumbled to the ground without warning around 1:30 Thursday morning.
Barry Cohen was rescued from the condo.
“I opened the door and it was a pile of rubble and dust and smoke billowing around,” he said. “And I couldn’t walk out past my doorway.”
Aaron Miles was a witness to the chaos.
“Everybody was screaming and panicking,” says Aaron.
Trapped in the debris was a 10-year-old boy. Nicholas Balboa helped rescue the young boy from the rubble.
“I saw an arm sticking out of the wreckage and he was screaming, ‘Can you see me?’” Nicholas says. “He was screaming, ‘don’t leave me, don’t leave me, don’t leave me.'”
Crews, with the help of Good Samaritans, pulled the boy out from under the wreckage.
“He has a guardian angel, that’s all I can say,” Nicholas continues. “Given all that happened, he came out unscathed.”
But dozens are still missing and the time to find survivors may be running out.
David Paulison is the former Chief of the Miami – Dade fire rescue and says the rescue is going to be tough.
“This is going to be a very difficult rescue for those who are still trapped,” David says.
As the search continues, so do the questions about how a building standing for 40 years can suddenly fall.
“Yesterday the building seemed normal, nothing seemed off,” adds Aaron.
“We just don’t have any answers right now, but we’ll get them,” the Florida mayor says. “We’re going to find out what happened.”